Idol Directions
by Riana Salvatore
Summary: Faith Hudson has wanted to sing her whole life. She finally gets the chance when she auditions for American Idol. Can she prove that's good enough to win it all and will she fall in love the way. Faith/Sam
1. Auditions

I walked into work. It was a hot day in July and wearing a black dress wasn't exactly fun, but as a maid I had to wear it. I worked for an Indian man named Figgins. I hoped that I wouldn't have to keep doing it. I had a plan to get out of it. It wasn't a surefire plan, but if everything worked out, I wouldn't have to clean again. My name is Faith Hudson and I'm going to be the next American Idol.

I was 19 years old and doing whatever I could to pay the bills. The main thing that I was saving up for was a trip to Atlanta because they wouldn't be in Florida. I lived in West Palm Beach, a city of 100, 000 people. The weather was always nice, but it wasn't great for people who didn't have a lot of money. I wasn't sure why I had decided not to go to college. I supposed I thought I would have made not long after graduation. That was two years ago, so things hadn't exactly worked out. I got my paycheck and found that it was enough for the trip to Atlanta and the hotel. I didn't have anyone to go with me.

The first thing that I found out was that those auditions on TV were not the first auditions. The first auditions were at the Phillips Arena where the Hawks played. If I got past that stage, I would be able to see the judges.

I had to sit in the arena for hours. It was definitely boring. I took my headphones out and noticed the guy next to me was wanting to talk.

"Hey, I'm Sam. What's your name?" He asked.

"Faith." I replied.

"Where do you come from?" He questioned. "I'm from Nashville."

"West Palm Beach." I answered. I wasn't sure why he was talking to me.

"So do you know what you're going to sing?" He continued.

"Yes." I replied. "Not to be rude, but why are you talking to me?"

"I don't really have anyone else to talk to and it doesn't look you do either." He explained. "Who knows how much longer we'll be here."

"Well I brought some music with me." I stated as I put my headphones back in. I focused on filling out the form that they had given me. Under influences I put Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch and The Runaways. Kelly Clarkson actually was one of my influences because I loved her _Breakaway_, but I thought that putting that might get them to throw it out. It was pretty much a given that I was influenced by her because everyone there was influenced by her or they wouldn't be there.

I finally got my chance to go up after eight hours. I had to wake up at 5:00 in the morning and none of it even mattered. I couldn't help but wonder if they just did it to be dicks, but it was annoying. I was with a group of three other people that did not include Sam. I was the last in the line to sing. I basically only got to sing the chorus.

_What am I supposed to do when the beat part of me was always you  
What am I supposed to say when I'm all choked that you're okay  
I'm falling to pieces  
I'm falling to pieces _

"Number four, you're in. The rest of you, I'm sorry." The man told me. They handed me a ticket and told me to go back stage. I didn't want to brag to the people whose dreams had just been crushed. I ended up seeing a few people in costume. I couldn't help but wonder if they thought that they were actually good or just wanted to look like idiots on TV.

"So say makes you stand out from all of the girls here?" The producer asked me.

"I would say that it would be my dad being killed in Iraq shortly after I was born. He was a Gulf War hero and then went back where he was killed." I answered.

"Come to the Martin Luther King Center in two months for your next audition." They told me.

It meant that I would have to save up for another flight. Still, I could take a few more months of work.

Two months later, I headed to the MLK Center where they were many fewer people: about 200. The costumed people were there.

"Hey, it's you. I see you made it." Sam told me.

"So did you." I confirmed. I noticed that he was number 3. I was 196. It could have been that they really liked me because I knew that they usually showed some of the best people last. Still, it meant I would have to wait awhile.

Sam was the first person to come out with a golden ticket. I was happy for him.

Near the end of the second day, I looked at the girl next to me. She had long blonde hair and was really pretty.

"So what's your name?" I asked.

"Quinn." She replied. "I hope that they haven't given away all of the golden tickets."

"I doubt they have." I declared. "Did you come here with anyone?"

"Just my older sister: my parents don't really support this. They just want me to marry a rich man." She explained.

"Quinn Fabray." The host Jesse St. James called. Quinn stood up.

"Well good luck." She told me. A few minutes later she came out with the yellow piece of paper in her hands. "Yes, yes, yes! I'm going to Hollywood mom and dad. I told I could do it!"

So that meant that I was the last contestant. I had a good idea that I would be going to Hollywood, but I didn't want to mess up because I was overconfident. I walked into the room where there were three judges: Will Schuester, the cool one, Emma Pillsbury, the nice one, and Sue Sylvester, the mean one.

"What's your name, Sweetie?" Emma asked me.

"Faith Hudson." I answered.

"And how old are you?" She questioned.

"I just turned 20." I replied.

"What are you gonna sing?" Will responded.

"I was gonna sing 'All You Wanted' by Michelle Branch." I stated. They didn't say anything else and I just decided to sing.

_I wanted to be like you, I wanted everything  
So I tried to be like you but I got swept away  
I didn't know that it was so cold and you needed someone to show the way  
So I took your hand and we figured out that when the tides come I'll take you away_

_If you want to, I could save you  
I could take you away from here  
So lonely inside, so busy out there  
And all you was somebody who cared _

"Sue, what do you think?" Will asked.

"You've got some pipes on you, Kid." Sue stated. "It's a yes for me."

"Yes for me too." Emma replied.

"That's three yeses." Will stated. "You're going to Hollywood!"

So Faith made it to Hollywood like you knew she would and she met Quinn and Sam. Will she be able to achieve her dream? Please don't forget to review.


	2. Hollywood

It was November and I was planning for my trip to Hollywood. By now, I had told Figgins that I would need some time off. I knew that if I made it past Hollywood, I was planning on quitting.

"Faith, I want you to make sure that you have fun out there." He told me. "Also don't lose sight of what's important and that is the music."

"Thanks for the advice, Sir." I replied. Even though I didn't really like the job, I didn't have a problem with my boss. He treated me fairly and with respect. There were definitely worse things that I could be doing.

"If you get to the television rounds, I'll be voting for you." He declared. "Also don't end up like that Ke-dollar sign-ha."

"It's pronounced Kesha." I remarked.

The next day, I headed to Hollywood for the week. There were about 150 of us and only 24 would make it to the live rounds.

"Okay, now this is just serendipity." Sam told me. "I can see it now. We're going to get married."

I couldn't help but smile at his stupid joke. At least, I hoped that he was joking. I wasn't going to marry him. I noticed that he had brought his guitar with him.

"So do you play anything?" He asked.

"I know how to play a little guitar but I don't have one of my own." I stated.

"You know I could teach you." He offered. "In fact I could get you your own guitar. My dad's a professional songwriter, so I have a lot of them at home."

"You don't have to do that." I told him.

"You know your hair would look better if you grew it out." He declared. I had had it shorter so it wouldn't get in my way at work, but I supposed if I was going to be doing this, that wouldn't be an issue.

"I'll grow mine out if you grow yours." I retorted.

"Okay, deal." He agreed as I noticed the judges walked into the room. Performances were about to start.

I needed to put the finishing touches on my outfit. I already had a grey tank and faded black leggings and a black jacket, but I wanted something else to make me look like a rockstar. I grabbed a pinstriped scarf off the rack and let it hang from my neck.

At that time, Jesse was going into his narration.

"We first met Sam Evans in Atlanta. Now here he is trying to make his sister proud." Jesse replied. I had a feeling that was something that I needed to talk to Sam about. He then began to sing and play his guitar.

_We both lie silently still in the dead of the night  
Although we both lie close together we feel miles apart inside  
Was it something I said or something I did, did my words not come out right  
Though tried not to hurt you, though I tried but I guess that's why they say_

_Every rose has its thorn  
Just like every night has its dawn  
Just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad song  
Every rose has its thorn_

I didn't really have time to ask him because I was next. We wouldn't know if we were moving on until after everyone had performed.

_This world will never be what I expected  
And if I don't belong who would've guessed it  
I will not leave alone everything that I own  
To make you feel like it's not too late it's never too late_

_Even if I say it'll be alright  
Still I hear you say you want to end your life  
Now and again we tried to just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it all around it's not too late it's never too late  
It's not too late it's never too late _

I then went over to Sam.

"So what's that about your sister?" I asked.

"My sister has a kidney disease." He explained. "If she doesn't get a new kidney soon, she's going to die."

"Oh." I replied. I didn't really know what to say. Would they show that part if she didn't make it? "Well I hope that someone will give her one."

I then waited for them to announce who was moving on.

"Sam, step forward. Faith, step forward." Sue declared. "Rachel step forward and Dani step forward. Front row, you're moving on. The rest of you are going home. Now get out."

There was another day of first round auditions before they cut the numbers in half. After that was the hardest part of all of Hollywood: the group rounds. It was basically having to rely on others to show that you could move on. It was always the most dramatic and picking the wrong people to be in a group with could end up costing you.

I decided to find Sam because he was the only person that I really knew. It turned out that it wasn't true because I found someone on the phone.

"I'm not gonna be home tonight." Quinn said. "I know. Just be good for Frannie. I love you."

"Who was that?" I asked as she hung up the phone.

"That was my daughter Beth." She replied. "She's 7."

I was a bit surprised by that since she didn't look that old herself. I could have been wrong.

"23." She answered. "Yeah, I had her in high school. So do you wanna be in a group with me?"

"Yeah, I guess so." I stated. "Do you have any idea where Sam Evans is?"

"I think I saw him." She replied as the two of us began to look for him.

We ended up finding him with a girl with long dirty blonde hair and brown eyes wearing a leather jacket and blue dress. She was very pretty.

"Hey Sam, this is Quinn." I introduced as she shook his hand. "We were wondering if you by any chance wanted to be in a group with us."

"Sure." Sam replied. "This is Dani and she needs a group too."

I realized that then that I had seen her in the first stage of auditions. She had sang "Drops of Jupiter" by Train.

"Okay, so it looks like we have a group." I declared. "We're going to need to find a song that we're going to sing and also figure out who's going to be singing what parts."

"Well we need to see what's on the list." Dani replied. "I'll go see if I can find one while you guys try to come up with a name for the group."

I wasn't sure why we needed to have a name. We weren't going to be performing together in the future and it took the focus away from what was really important which was learning the song.

A few minutes later, Dani came back with the list.

"Okay so what songs do we know on here?" I asked as I looked it over. "I really like 'Shake It' by Metro Station."

"Could we do 'You Belong with Me' instead?" Dani suggested.

"No, that's basically a song that it's hard for anyone other than Taylor Swift sing and I have a feeling that if we try, we'll all go home." Quinn argued.

"Well I'm okay with whatever you girls wanna do." Sam stated. It was at that moment that I noticed a Latina girl yelling at her group members.

"Bitch, we're doing the song that I want to do." She yelled.

"The song that you want to do sucks." Some effeminate kid shot back at her. That was definitely something that was going to be on TV. I couldn't help but wonder if any of my stuff was going to air. I knew that being on TV increased your chances in the voting rounds even though I was pretty sure they didn't show Kris Allen at all until then and he won the whole thing (which was a travesty because he was not better than Adam).

"Okay, we'll do 'Shake It'." Dani agreed. I would have guessed that seeing that unfold had convinced her.

"So this is an energetic song, so we'll need to do some moving around." Quinn stated. "We need to find out who's going to be singing what parts."

"Well since the verse is kind of lower, maybe you and Sam should handle it." I suggested. "I can do the pre-chorus and Dani can do the chorus and then we can take turns when we get to the bridge."

"So we need to get some practice in so we can get some sleep." Sam stated.

We ran over the song for about an hour before we headed off to our rooms. I knew that getting a good night's sleep was important so I wouldn't blow it. As much as I wanted the other members of my group to advance, I did want it to be me the most. I did need to be focused on myself before everyone else cause even if the performance as a whole was a trainwreck, if I was good, I would still move forward.

In the morning, we volunteered to be the first group up because we would know our fate early and be able to leave and get some more sleep and stay and check out the competition.

"Before anyone performs, if you forget the words, you might as well beat it." Sue remarked.

Sam started the song off.

_I'll take you home if you don't leave me at the front door  
Your body's cold because girl we're getting so warm_

Then Quinn came in.

_And I was thinking of ways that I could get inside_

That was when I entered and she sang with me.

**Tonight you're falling in love **_let me go now  
_**This feeling's tearing me up **_here we go now _

Dani then sang the chorus.

_You if he does it like this, will you do it like that?  
Now if he touches like this, will you touch him right back?  
Now if he moves like this, will you move it like that?  
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it  
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it  
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it  
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it  
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it_

Sam then started the bridge.

_I saw you dancing and I couldn't get you off my mind_

I reentered after it.

_I could tell that you could that I was taking my time_

Quinn then came back in.

_And I was thinking of ways to keep you staying alive_

Dani then came back.

_Your body's shaking, turn me on so I can…_

She had forgotten the words. It sucked for her. I then came back in for the chorus.

_You if he does it like this, will you do it like that?  
Now if he touches like this, will you touch him right back?  
Now if he moves like this, will you move it like that?  
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it  
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it  
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it  
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it  
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it_

"Sam, Quinn, Faith, you're moving on." Will declared. "Dani, I'm sorry."

There would be one more day of auditions before they made the final cuts to the Top 40. It was the last thing that we had any control over.

I went up when my name was announced. There was a guitar but I decided not to play it because I was still a novice.

_Let's talk this over, it's not like we're dead  
Was it something I did, was it something you said  
Don't leave me hanging in a city so dead  
Held up so high on such a breakable thread_

_You were all things I thought I knew  
And I thought we could be_

_You were everything, everything that I wanted  
We were meant to be, supposed to be but we lost it  
All the memories so close to me just fade away  
All this time you were pretending, so much for my happy ending_

_It's nice to know that you were there  
Thanks for acting like you cared  
And making me feel like I was the only one  
It's nice to know we had it all  
Thanks for watching as I fall  
And letting me know that we were done_

_She was everything, everything that I wanted  
We were meant to be, supposed to be but we lost it  
All the memories so close to me just fade away  
All this time you were pretending, so much for my happy ending  
So much for my happy ending  
So much for my happy ending_

After my performance, I was in a room with Quinn, but Sam wasn't in my sight. They had split us into three rooms. Two would move on and the other would go home.

"My brother's not here." This guy with a Mohawk said. That usually meant that only one sibling would advance. I really hoped that they wouldn't do that Top 36 thing from last year because it was a mess and good people probably lost out because they only got one chance.

After an hour of waiting the door opened up and the judges walked in.

"You made it!" Emma declared as we erupted into cheers.

We then came back for the final judgment. They were going to meet with us individually to let us know if we were in or not.

I walked into the room. I was pretty confident that I would go forward.

"How are you Faith?" Emma asked me.

"I'm good." I stated. "I would be a lot better if you told me that I was going to be in the top 24."

"Well I guess it's good news." Sue declared. "You're in."

They then got all of us together and told us to dance. I was not a good dancer, so I kept it pretty simple. Jesse was reading off our names.

"For the girls we have: **Rachel Berry, Tina Cohen-Chang, Sunshine Corazon, Quinn Fabray, Faith Hudson, Mercedes Jones, Santana Lopez, Sugar Motta, Brittany Pierce, Marley Rose, Kitty Wilde, and Lauren Zizes**." Jesse explained. "And the guys we have: **Artie Abrams, Blaine Anderson, Mike Chang, Sam Evans, Rory Flanagan, Joe Hart, Kurt Hummel, Dave Karofsky, Ryder Lynn, Puck, Matt Rutherford and Sebastian Smythe**. These are your Top 24 America, who will you be voting for?"

So Faith made it to Top 24 and we got some appearances by Santana, Kurt, and Puck. The songs are "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison, "Never Too Late" by Three Days Grace and "My Happy Ending" by Avril. Please don't forget to review.


	3. Top 24

It was finally time to perform on live TV. The wide pool of talent from Hollywood had been worn down to just 24. We were staying in a hotel. Some good news that I had learned was that Sam's sister had gotten her transplant and she was probably going to be okay.

It was Sunday and I was trying to find what song I was going to sing. The girls were going to sing first, so I didn't have a lot of time. The good news was that there wasn't going to be any recording until the top 12, so I had a little more time. As I was looking over the few songs that I had chosen, I heard a knock on the door.

I opened it up to see that Sam was there.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere with me." He replied.

"You mean like a date?" I questioned.

"It doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to be." He stated.

"I really need to figure out what song I'm going to sing on Tuesday night." I declared. He was cute, but work was more important than my social life.

"Maybe I could help you." He offered. It was an interesting proposition, especially since we wouldn't be competing against each other this week. "Are you choosing from a few songs?"

"Well I was trying to decide between Avril's 'Keep Holding On', *NSYNC's 'Tearin' Up My Heart' and Jason Derulo's 'In My Head'." I explained.

"I think that your voice sounds a lot like Avril's, so you should go with the Avril song." He suggested.

"Okay, I think that I'll do that." I agreed. "I do want to show people who I want to be as a performer. So where do you wanna go?"

"Well maybe we could get some dinner at In-N-Out Burger. I've always to go to one but they're only in California." He explained. "You do eat meat, don't you?"

"Yes, I eat meat and sure that sounds fun." I agreed. "So you probably haven't thought about what song since you have an extra day to choose."

"I've actually already decided." He declared. "Do you wanna hear it?"

"You know I'll be in the audience on Wednesday." I reminded him.

"Yeah, but I'd like you to hear it first." He stated as we headed out to the parking lot. There were a few Fords that we could drive. I was glad that we were going later because I had heard that LA traffic was a mess. I was still getting used to eating later since it was around 9:00 back home. He began to sing as he drove.

_If the heart is always searching can you ever find a home  
I've been looking for that someone, I'll never make it on my own  
Dreams can't take the place of loving you  
There's gotta be a million reasons why it's true_

_But when you look me in the eyes and tell me that you love me  
Everything's alright when you're right here by my side  
When you look me in the eyes, I catch a glimpse of heaven  
I find my paradise when you look me in the eyes_

_Moving on I start to realize I can reach my tomorrow I can hold my head up high  
And it's all because of you by my side _

_When you look me in the eyes and tell me that you love me  
Everything's alright when you're right here by my side  
When I hold you in my arms, I know that it's forever  
I just gotta let you know I never wanna let you go _

_Cause when you look me in the eyes and tell me that you love me  
Everything's alright when you're right here by my side  
When you look me in the eyes, I catch a glimpse of heaven  
I find my paradise when you look me in the eyes_

"What was that?" I asked.

"That was 'When You Look Me in the Eyes' by The Jonas Brothers." He explained.

"You know I don't think anyone else could pull that off the way that you did." I replied. "It was cute and the girls are gonna love it."

"Did you love it?" He asked.

"You know it's a bit early for you to be flirting with me." I stated. "We're not even at the restaurant yet."

Once we got to the restaurant, we ordered our food and sat down at a table.

"So tell me about yourself." I instructed. "What was high school like for you?"

"Well I went to an all-boys boarding school." He answered. "I didn't get to see a lot of girls, but I was quarterback and led my team to the TSSAA state championship. We got our butts kicked. What about you? What did you do?"

"I was a cheerleader." I explained. "I didn't do much singing except for when I won this talent show. I loved watching the show growing up."

"Do you have any siblings?" He asked.

"No." I declared. "It was just me and my mom growing up. So did you have any sort of job before coming on the show?"

"Well I worked as a cashier at McDonald's and I also did some stripping." He declared. My eyes widened but he seemed pretty calm about it. "I had to do it to help pay my sister's medical bills. I told my family about not long after auditions. What did you do?"

"I was a maid for a rich Indian guy." I answered. "You know this is a really nice way to get to know someone."

On Tuesday, afternoon all of the girls were rehearsing and we found out the order that we would be performing in. Unfortunately for me, I had the inconvenience of having to perform first. I knew that I would have to be memorable or my journey could be over as soon as it began.

"You know there doesn't even need to be a competition because I'm going to win." Sugar Motta, a spoiled rich girl said. I honestly didn't even think that she was that good based on what I'd heard of her. I couldn't believe that she had made the Top 24 in the first place. Okay, she was not terrible or tone-deaf, but there were other girls in Hollywood that I was surprised didn't make it.

That night, just before 5:00, I headed to the stage.

"Good evening, everyone and welcome to American Idol." Jesse declared. "It's time once again to meet our contestants. Here they are. Faith Hudson, Sugar Motta, Marley Rose, Lauren Zizes, Tina Cohen-Chang, Kitty Wilde, Santana Lopez, Brittany S. Pierce, Mercedes Jones, Quinn Fabray, Sunshine Corazon, and Rachel Berry. Now to start things off, let's say hello to Faith Hudson."

They showed a video of me which included part of me doing my job. I couldn't really believe that anyone would be interested in seeing me be a maid, but apparently the producers thought it was interesting. After the video was done, I heard the strings playing and began to sing my song.

_You're not alone, together we stand  
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand  
When it gets cold and it feels like the end  
There's no place to go you know I won't give in, no I won't give in_

_Keep holding on cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
Just stay strong cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you  
There's nothing you can say, there's nothing you can do,  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
So keep holding on, cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

_Here me when I say, when I say I believe  
Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny  
Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_La-da-da-da, la-da-da-da, la-da-da-da-da-da-da_

_Keep holding on cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
Just stay strong cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you  
There's nothing you can say, there's nothing you can do,  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
So keep holding on, cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
Keep holding on, keep holding on  
There's nothing you can say, there's nothing you can do,  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
So keep holding on, cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

I then stood in front of the judges as I waited for their feedback.

"Now that was a great way to start the season off." Will declared. "The chorus was a little weak, but when you hit that bridge, you really shined."

"Well I think that it was wonderful from start to finish." Emma stated. "You should a good amount of range."

"Okay, I wouldn't call it wonderful." Sue replied. "Yeah, it was good, but I'm not sure that anyone will remember it as one of the best of the season."

"Well I don't want to give the best of the season at the beginning." I countered.

"If you want to vote dial 1-866-IDOLS 01." Jesse replied.

Next up was Sugar, who sang "Umbrella" by Rihanna, and while I wouldn't say that she tanked, I thought that she went off-key a few times.

Marley followed up and I couldn't help but think from the video that she seemed like a really nice girl. She sang "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child and it was really good.

She was followed by Lauren, who sang "I Know What Boys Like" by the Waitresses and it was bad. I was pretty sure that she was going home.

After that, was Tina who sang "Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones. I thought it was kind of predictable that a Goth would sing the Goth anthem.

Sixth was Kitty, who sang "I Love Rock and Roll" by Joan Jett, but I thought that it sounded more like the Britney Spears version than the original.

After her was Santana who sang "Sex and Candy" by Marcy Playground. Her vocals were fine and I was impressed that someone sang that song.

Brittany followed up and sang "Toxic" by Brittany Spears. She definitely had an interesting voice and I wasn't sure if I liked it yet.

She was proceeded by Mercedes who sang "Irreplaceable" by Beyoncé. I couldn't like the song because I hated Beyoncé that much.

Next up came Quinn.

_Set me free, why don't cha babe  
Get out my life, why don't cha babe  
Cause you don't really love me  
You just keep me hangin' on  
You don't really need me  
But you keep me hangin' on_

_Why do you keep a coming around  
Playing with my heart?  
Why don't you get out of my life  
And let me make a new start?_

_Let me get over you  
The way you've gotten over me_

_Set me free, why don't cha babe  
Let me be, why don't cha babe  
Cause you don't really love me  
You just keep me hangin' on  
Now, you don't really want me  
You just keep me hangin' on_

_You say, although we broke up  
You still wanna be just friends  
But how can we still be friends  
When seeing you only breaks my heart again  
_And there aint nothing I can do about it

_Why don't you be a man about it and set me free  
Now you don't care a thing about me, you're just using me  
Go on, get out, get out of my life  
And let me sleep at night  
Cause you don't really love me  
You just keep me hangin' on_

I thought that it was one of the better high-energy performances and her dancing was really good. The judges seemed to agree with me.

Of course the next two performances were both really good. Sunshine sang "Walk Away" by Kelly Clarkson and Rachel sang "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga stripped-down and both of them blew it out of the park. I had a feeling that both of them were moving on.

During the results show, we opened up with a group number. The guys were singing the guy parts and the girls were singing Leighton's part.

_I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go bad  
You were hanging in the corner with your five best friends  
You heard that I was trouble but you couldn't resist  
I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go  
Good girls go bad_

**I know your type, boy you're dangerous  
And you're that guy I'd be stupid to trust  
But just one night couldn't be so wrong  
You make me wanna lose control**

_She was so trapped  
Until I drove her wild_

_**I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go bad  
**_**I was hanging in the corner with my five best friends  
I heard that you were trouble but I couldn't resist  
**_**I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go  
Good girls go bad**_

_Oh she got a way with the boys in the place that she don't like and don't stand a chance  
_**And he got a way with the girls in the back acting like they're too hot to dance  
**_Oh she got a way with the boys in the place that she don't like and don't stand a chance  
_**And he got a way with the girls in the back acting like they're too hot to dance**

_**I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go bad  
**_**I was hanging in the corner with my five best friends  
I heard that you were trouble but I couldn't resist  
**_**I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go  
Good girls go bad**_

After the performance, I was seated next to Quinn on the back row.

"Okay, I need Rachel, Quinn, and Faith to stand up." Jesse replied. "Quinn, you are safe. Faith, you are safe, Rachel, you are safe."

It was followed by him going to the guys and having Ryder, Sam, and Dave stand up. Sam and Jake were safe, but Dave was the first one going home.

Next, he had Marley, Sunshine and Lauren stand up. Just as I suspected, Lauren was sent home. He then had Kitty, Mercedes, Brittany, and Santana all sit down, leaving just Sugar and Tina.

"And the person who will be singing next week is…Tina." Jesse explained. "Sugar, you are going home."

She probably deserved it for acting like such a bitch in rehearsal. Sure, America hadn't seen that, but it was still karma. He then whittled the guys down to Matt and Sebastian and I wasn't sure which one of them was leaving. Neither of their performances were very good and Matt hadn't gotten much exposure in Hollywood. In the end, it was him that went home. I was just glad that I was going to singing for another week. _  
_

So Faith and Sam went on their first date and it seems to have gone well. The songs are "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by The Supremes and "Good Girls Go Bad" by Cobra Starship and Leighton Meester. Please don't forget to review.


	4. Top 20

It was still surreal being in Hollywood. I knew it would get even crazier if I lived in the mansion but that was still two weeks away. I needed to prepare for this week. I was also pretty sure that I was starting to develop feelings for Sam, but I needed to focus on the music. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I could channel what I was starting to feel into my music. I mean part of performing was feeling what the song was about, whether you were faking it or otherwise. I did wonder if we had time to go on another date. I also couldn't help but wonder if the media would start to notice, but I was pretty sure that no one cared until you made the Top 12.

I also realized that it would probably be a good idea to make friends. Maybe I could go somewhere with Quinn or some of the other girls. In fact, I noticed her in the hallway with Brittany and Santana wearing kind of flashy clothes.

"Where are you going?" I questioned.

"Clubbing." Brittany replied. "Wanna come?"

"I can't. I'm only 20." I pointed out. "They won't let me in."

"They'll let you in. You're famous." Santana argued. I would disagree with that statement.

"Even if I could get in, I couldn't drink and I'm not really looking for a guy right now." I replied. "You can tell me about it later."

An hour later, I was busy going through some songs in the lobby when Quinn came back.

"Why are you back so early?" I asked.

"I really wasn't having a good time." She replied. "Not to mention Brittany and Santana were all over each other. I'm not going to find someone who wants to date a girl with a 7-year-old at the club. So what are you doing?"

"I was trying to figure out what to sing this week." I answered.

"Can I see?" She questioned.

"I don't know if I should tell you." I admitted.

"I'm not going to steal your song if that's what you're worried." She replied. "So what do you think of the guys?"

"They're pretty good singers." I declared. She laughed.

"I mean looks wise." She corrected. "You and Sam seem pretty close."

"Well other than you, Sam's pretty much the only person that I really know here." I reminded her. "So are there any guys that you like?"

"Puck's pretty cute, but I don't know if it's a guy that I want." She admitted.

"So are you gay then?" I whispered.

"I don't know." She answered. "I haven't figured it out yet. I know my parents wouldn't approve if I was, but I don't really care about their opinion."

"You know that there's nothing wrong with you if you are." I pointed. "So is that where you went tonight? To a gay club?"

"Yes and I didn't really feel comfortable, but I was never really a club kind of girl." She explained.

"Well I've never been to one especially since my line of work involved getting up early." I replied.

"How did you become a maid anyway?" She asked.

"I basically just saw the ad in the paper and I did want to get out of my mom's house. It's hard to turn down something that includes free room and board."

"Do you still have your uniform?" She asked.

"I didn't bring it with me, but my boss said I could keep it, yes." I stated. I then noticed the look in her eye. "But I'm not looking to be anyone's French maid fantasy."

"I think you should sing this song." She suggested as she took out the paper. "I like that one. I heard it a few years ago and I think that you would sound great singing it."

"So are you going to tell me what you're going to sing?" I asked.

"Yeah, I could do that." She replied. "I'm seriously not trying to sabotage you. I do want to win, but I don't want to sell my integrity to do it."

So I found out that this week, they were switching things up a little bit and having the guys sing first which meant that we had an extra day to prepare. I was interested in seeing Sam's performance.

_Getting born in the state of Mississippi, her papa was a copper and her mama was hippie  
In Alabama, she would swing a hammer price you gotta pay when you break the panorama  
She never knew that there was anything more than poor  
What in the world does your company take me for_

_Black bandana sweet Louisiana, robbing a bank in the state of Indiana  
She's a runner, rebel and a stunner, on her merry way saying baby whatcha gonna  
Looking down the barrel of a hot metal .45  
Just another way to survive_

_California rest in peace  
Simultaneous release  
California show your teeth  
She's my priestess, I'm her priest yeah, yeah_

_Who knew the other side of you  
Who knew that others died to prove  
Too true to say goodbye to you  
Too true to say, say, say_

_Push the fader, gifted animator, one for the now and eleven for the later  
Never made it up to Minnesota, North Dakota man was gunning for the border  
Down in the Badlands, she was saving the best for last  
It only hurts when I laugh, gone too fast_

_California rest in peace  
Simultaneous release  
California show your teeth  
She's my priestess, I'm her priest yeah, yeah  
California rest in peace  
Simultaneous release  
California show your teeth  
She's my priestess, I'm her priest yeah, yeah_

"That was great." I told him as he walked off the stage. I couldn't help but notice that some of the other girls were looking at me with jealousy in their eyes. If they wanted him, they still had a chance to get him and I wasn't going to stop them. We weren't dating yet.

On Wednesday night, I prepared to sing my song. I wasn't going to be singing first, which was a relief.

"Hello once again, America." Jesse declared. "Last night the boys sang what they had to offer and this night, we'll be hearing from the ladies once again. Here there are: Kitty Wilde, Rachel Berry, Marley Rose, Brittany Pierce, Faith Hudson, Tina Cohen-Chang, Sunshine Corazon, Mercedes Jones, Quinn Fabray, and Santana Lopez."

Kitty led off the show singing "Crazy" by Patsy Cline. I happened to think that it was a mistake because that song was too big for her and it really ate her up. She was someone that I thought could possibly go home if there weren't any other bad performances.

Next up, Rachel sang "I Told You So" by Randy Travis. She sounded amazing on it. I knew that Carrie Underwood had done a cover of it and that was probably where she got the inspiration from.

After her Marley sang "New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel. It was a good song, but I wasn't sure how it showed how she fit into today's pop radio. I did think that it would probably be enough to take her into next week.

Fourth was Brittany singing "I Want It That Way" by The Backstreet Boys. There wasn't really anything wrong with it, but the song is incredibly easy to sing. It didn't really have any power notes and the Backstreet Boys are kind of a joke these days. She could have been in trouble.

I then headed out to the stage. Before I went on, they showed a video of me talking about the song and how grateful I was being here. I wanted to make sure that I looked like a rockstar so I wore a black tank top and layered leather jacket with an orange pleated skirt and tights. I might have looked like a rock and roll ballerina but it was how I wanted to dress.

_Hello, let me introduce you to the characters in the show  
One says yes, one says no  
Decide which voice in your head you can keep alive_

_Even in madness, I know you still believe  
Paint me on canvas so I become what you could never be_

_I dare you to tell me to walk through fire  
Grab my soul and call me a liar  
I dare you to tell me to walk through fire  
I dare you to tell me, I dare you to_

_Hello, are you still chasing the memories and shadows  
Some stay young, some grow old  
Come alive there are thoughts unclear you can never hide_

_Even in madness, I know you still believe  
Paint me on canvas so I become what you could never be_

_I dare you to tell me to walk through fire  
Grab my soul and call me a liar  
I dare you to tell me to walk through fire  
I dare you to tell me, I dare you to  
I dare you to tell me, I dare you to_

"It looks like Faith has let her rock side come out." Will declared. "It sounded great."

"I also thought that you sounded great and I really like your outfit." Emma added.

"Well at least you didn't come out in leather pants like the Joan Jett wannabes." Sue commented. "I think this is one of those where your voice can really shine even if the verses were a bit shaky."

"If you wanna vote for Faith, dial 1-866-Idols05." Jesse stated.

After I was done, Tina performed Elvis's "Suspicious Minds" and it was weird. She went for this dark arrangement that didn't really work and the music overpowered her voice.

After her was Sunshine, who sang Alicia Keys' "No One", which while not as good as last week, was still good. Mercedes followed her up with a booming performance of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls. It was very good, if predictable.

Then Quinn took the stage. I was a bit nervous by the song that she was singing but she sounded great in rehearsal.

_Don't know much about your life, don't know much about your world but  
Don't wanna be alone tonight on this planet they call Earth  
You don't know about and I don't have a future figured out  
And maybe this is going too fast and maybe it's not meant to last_

_But what do you say to taking chances  
What do you say to jumping off the edge  
Never knowing if there's solid ground below or hand to hold  
Or hell to pay what do you say what do you say_

_And I had my heart beaten down but I always come back for more yeah  
There's nothing like love to pull you up when you're lying down on the floor there  
So talk to me, talk to me like lovers do  
Yeah walk with me, walk with me like lovers do like lovers do _

_What do you say to taking chances  
What do you say to jumping off the edge  
Never knowing if there's solid ground below or hand to hold  
Or hell to pay what do you say what do you say_

_Don't much about your life and I don't know much about you world_

I thought that she pulled off. There might have a been a note or two that she didn't hit, but overall, it was a good performance.

Santana then closed the show with Heart's "Alone" and it was good. Not as good as when Carrie did it, but still good.

On Thursday night, we performed our group song.

_Baby, are you down, down, down, down, down?  
Down, down  
Even if the sky is falling down?  
Down, down_

_You oughta know tonight is the night to let it go_  
_Put on a show I wanna see how you lose control_  
_So leave it behind cause we have a night to get away_  
_So come on and fly with me as we make our great escape_

_So baby, don't worry, you are my only you won't be lonely_  
_Even if the sky is falling down, you'll be my only no need to worry_

_Baby, are you down, down, down, down, down?_  
_Down, down_  
_Baby, are you down, down, down, down, down?_  
_Down, down_  
_Even if the sky is falling down?_

_Just let it be, come on and bring your body next to me  
I'll take you away, turn this place into our private getaway  
So leave it behind cause we have a night to get away, so come on and fly with me  
As we make our great escape so why don't we run away?_

_Baby, don't worry, you are my only, you won't be lonely_  
_Even if the sky is falling down, you'll be my only, no need to worry_

_Baby, are you down, down, down, down, down?_  
_Down, down_  
_Baby, are you down, down, down, down, down?_  
_Down, down_  
_Even if the sky is fallin' down?_  
_And the sky is falling down_

We then got to the results. I was in the back row.

"Let's start with the girls. Front row stand up." Jesse replied as Santana, Kitty, Marley, Sunshine and Quinn stood up. He then sat down Santana and Marley down before sending Kitty home meaning Quinn and Sunshine were safe.

For the guys, Sam was in the first group to which Joe was going home. I was glad that Sam was staying because I still wanted to get to know him more.

"Okay, I want Faith, Brittany, and Tina to come to the center of the stage." He said. I was a little bit nervous because Brittany and Tina did not have good performances, but it could have easily meant that they were going to be the bottom 2. "Faith, go sit down. You're safe."

I smiled and headed back to the couch. It ended up that Tina was the one who was eliminated. The last group of guys came down to Blaine and Rory with the Irish kid going home. There was only one more week until the top 12 and the line between fame and missing out.

So Faith and Quinn spent some time together in this episode. The top 12 has almost been revealed. You might have an idea who will make it and I'll even reveal Faith, Puck, Quinn, Rachel, Sam, and Mike will be in the top 12. Who will be in the other 6 spots? The songs are "Dani California" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, "I Dare You" by Shinedown, "Taking Chances" by Celine Dion, and "Down" by Jay Sean. Please don't forget to review.


	5. Top 16

It was the week where everything important happened. On Thursday night, the top 12 would be revealed and those who made it would move into the mansion. It would definitely be an adjustment because I had never lived with a roommate before, but I would still have to get there first, meaning that I would have to pick the right song. Though, tonight I had to worry about my second date with Sam. We were going to a real restaurant. I knew it was one of the places that the stars dined at and with any luck, someone more famous would be there so we could have a quiet date.

I wanted to wear a dress, but I knew that the place wasn't too formal. I ended up borrowing a dress from wardrobe. It was black and strapless which I wore with a pink blazer and black boots. I heard a knock on the door and saw Sam wearing a black suit and tie.

"You look fancy." I commented.

"You look pretty good yourself." He replied as he took my hand and we headed out to the car. It had a driver, which meant we would be in the back.

"So, do you know if you're sister's going to come to Hollywood to see the show at any point?" I asked. "I'd really like to meet her."

"I'd have to talk to my parents about that." He answered. "You know I have a brother too."

I really can't relate to any of this." I admitted. "I've been any only child all of my life. My mom never found anyone else that she wanted to have kids with."

"Well I imagine that it can't be easy falling in love again after you lost the person that you care about most." He stated. "Speaking of losing someone, we're not in the most conventional arrangement here. Most people don't have to worry about someone being sent home."

"Well maybe we won't have to worry about that." I proposed. "Maybe if we can keep doing our bests, we can be the final two. I mean you are pretty much the favorite among the guys."

"Yeah, but you're not exactly the most popular of all of the girls." He pointed out. "You ranked 4th at the last rating."

"Well I haven't shown everything that I can do yet." I declared. "People like Rachel and Santana and Sunshine are putting their best out now. They're basically sprinting at the beginning of a marathon."

Once we got to the restaurant, we headed to our table. The food was really good. It made sense why the stars would eat there. I noticed that Neil Patrick Harris was there with his boyfriend. In fact he walked over to us.

"Hey, you're Sam Evans from _American Idol_, aren't you?" He asked. I didn't know NPH watched _American Idol_.

"Yeah, I am." Sam confirmed.

"Do you think that maybe you could sing something for the crowd by any chance?" Neil requested.

"Well I'm kind of on a date." Sam stated.

"You know I wouldn't mind." I told him. I wasn't sure if he recognized me or not or if he was just a fan or Sam.

"Okay." Sam stated. "Is there a microphone by any chance?"

He walked onto the stage and began to sing. I couldn't help but wonder if it was the song he was going to sing for the week.

_I know a girl, she puts the color inside of my world  
But she's just like a maze where all of the walls all continually change  
And I've done I can to stand on the steps with my heart in my hands  
Now I'm starting to see maybe it's got nothing to do with me_

_So fathers be good to your daughters  
Daughters will love like you do  
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers  
So mothers be good to your daughters too_

_Boys you can break,  
You find out how much they can take  
Boys will be strong, boys soldier on  
But boys would be gone without warmth of a woman's good, good heart_

_So fathers be good to your daughters  
Daughters will love like you do  
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers  
So mothers be good to your daughters too  
So mothers be good to your daughters too  
So mothers be good to your daughters too_

We then headed back to the hotel and stopped outside of my room.

"So would it be okay if I kissed you right now?" He asked.

"How about this?" I suggested. "If we both make the Top 12, I'll kiss you on Thursday night."

We were performing on Tuesday night again this week. I really didn't want to be one of the ones who missed out like Kady Malloy, one of my favorites from Season 7 who just missed the Top 12 and has done nothing since.

"Welcome to _American Idol._" Jesse declared. "This is the last chance before we reveal our top 12. Tonight we'll hear from the ladies. Here they are: Santana Lopez, Sunshine Corazon, Brittany S. Pierce, Mercedes Jones, Rachel Berry, Marley Rose, Faith Hudson and Quinn Fabray. First we'll hear from Santana."

Santana sang "Whataya Want from Me" by Adam Lambert and it was pretty good. It was probably good enough to take her to the Top 12. I still thought that she was showing too much too early. There had been several people that were really good at the start but then trailed off as the competition continued.

Next, Sunshine performed "Broken" by Seether and it just didn't sound as good as either of her other two performances. The judges said that she would probably make it anyway, but I wasn't so sure.

After that, Brittany sang "Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard and it was surprisingly good, but I didn't think that it would be enough to carry her to the next week. I could have been wrong, but I thought it was just too little, too late.

Mercedes went fourth and sang "Stop! In The Name of Love" by The Supremes. It was once again solid, but I was starting to wonder if she realized that she was typecasting herself. I understood that R and B was probably what she wanted to sing, but she wouldn't win the competition just by singing the same style of songs. She would have to think outside of the box to keep going.

Rachel performed fifth, singing "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie and she continued to show why she was one of the strongest girls in the competition and she was probably my biggest competition. It would take a lot to be better than her.

Marley headed up to the stage and sang "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson and it was just too much for her. I was pretty sure that she had bought herself a ticket home to go with Brittany.

After she was done, I headed up to the stage. There was a video of basically what was like to be me and what I liked to do. It was kind of awkward because I wasn't good at talking about myself.

_I don't wanna be the girl who laughs the loudest  
Or the girl who never wants to be alone  
I don't wanna be that call at 4:00 in the morning  
Cause I'm the only one you know in a world that won't be home_

_Ahh the sun is blinding, I stayed again  
Oh I am finding that's not the way I want my story to end_

_I'm safe up high nothing can touch me  
But why do I feel this party's over  
No pain inside you're my protection  
But how do I feel this good sober _

_Coming down coming down coming down  
Spinning round spinning round spinning round  
I'm looking for myself sober  
Coming down coming down coming down  
Spinning round spinning round spinning round  
I'm looking for myself sober _

_When it's good then it's good to till it goes bad  
Till you try to find the you that you once had  
I have heard myself cry never again  
Broken down in agony just trying to find a friend_

_I'm safe up high nothing can touch me  
But why do I feel this party's over  
No pain inside you're like perfection  
But how do I feel this good sober  
How do I feel this good sober_

"So how old are you again?" Will asked.

"20." I answered.

"You know it's not common that 20-year-olds have the kind of talent you have." He added. "I can think of one: Mariah Carey."

"Now I wouldn't go that far." Sue argued. "She's good, but she's no Mariah."

"I'm okay with not being Mariah." I replied.

After I was done, Quinn headed to the stage.

_Never can say goodbye  
No, no, no, no  
Never can say goodbye_

_Even though the pain and heartache  
Seems to follow me wherever I go  
Though I try and try to hide my feelings  
They always seem to show  
Then you try to say you're leaving me  
And I always have to say no_

_Tell me why is it so_

_That I never can say goodbye  
No, no, no, no  
Never can say goodbye_

_Tell me why is it so  
Don't wanna let you go_

_I never can say goodbye ooh, ooh baby  
I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, no, no  
I never can say goodbye ooh, ooh baby  
I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, no, no_

_I keep thinkin' that our problems  
Soon are all gonna work out  
But there's that same unhappy feeling  
And there's that anguish, there's that doubt  
It's that same old, 'Did you hang up?  
Can't do with you all the time'_

Tell me why is it so  
Don't wanna let you go

_I never can say goodbye ooh, ooh baby  
I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, no, no  
I never can say goodbye ooh, ooh baby  
I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, no, no_

On Thursday we opened the show with yet another number of a current song. This one sounded a lot like another song, but it was the producer's fault for using the same track for two songs.

_Remember all the things we wanted, now all our memories, they're haunted  
We were always meant to say goodbye, even with our fists held high  
It never would have worked out right, yeah, we were never meant for do or die  
I didn't want us to burn out, I didn't come here to hurt you now I can't stop_

_I want you to know that it doesn't matter  
Where we take this road, but someone's gotta go  
And I want you to know you couldn't have loved me better  
But I want you to move on, so I'm already gone_

_And I'm already gone, I'm already gone  
You can't make it feel right when you know that it's wrong  
I'm already gone, already gone there's no moving on  
So I'm already gone_

_Remember all the things we wanted, now all our memories, they're haunted  
We were always meant to say goodbye_

_And I'm already gone, I'm already gone  
You can't make it feel right when you know that it's wrong  
I'm already gone, already gone there's no moving on  
So I'm already gone_

"So as you can see, there are twelve stools." Jesse declared. "When I call your name, I will tell you if you made the Top 12 and if you have, I want you to take a seat in one of the stools. Let's start with Blaine. You are in the Top 12. Take a seat."

Blaine headed to the chair and he then sent Santana and Kurt to join him.

"Marley, please stand up." He replied. "I'm sorry to tell you that you are going home tonight."

The process continued with Mercedes, Rachel, and Sam going next before Ryder was sent home.

"Faith, please stand up." Jesse stated before I stood. I knew what it meant. Since I was being called before the end, I was definitely in. "You are in the Top 12."

I went over to the stools, but instead of taking a seat, I went over and kissed Sam.

"Okay, I did not see that coming." Jesse remarked before he sent Quinn to sit next to me. Puck and Artie then joined us with the former helping Artie into the stool. "So we've got four people, two spots left. Let's start with Mike and Sebastian. Please come to the stage."

Based on their performances, I thought that Mike would be the one in the Top 12.

"The person that is in the Top 12 is…Mike." Jesse declared. "Sebastian, you're going home."

That left only Brittany and Sunshine and I was pretty sure which one was going to make it.

"The last member of the Top 12 is…" Jesse started. "Brittany."

My mouth hung open and pretty much everyone else's did as well.

"America Idol, this is your Top 12: Artie Abrams, Blaine Anderson, Rachel Berry, Mike Chang, Sam Evans, Quinn Fabray, Faith Hudson, Kurt Hummel, Mercedes Jones, Santana Lopez, Brittany S. Pierce, and Puck. Who will your American Idol?"

So the Top 12 has been announced and it's mostly people that you would expect. All of the original cast except for Matt and Tina. The songs are "Daughters" by John Mayer, "Sober" by P!nk, "Never Can Say Goodbye" by The Jackson 5 and "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson. Please don't forget to review.


	6. Bon Jovi

So the first thing that was involved in being in the Top 12 was moving into the mansion. They were six rooms. Since we didn't have any teens this year, no parents would be staying in the mansion, meaning that the remaining room would be given to Quinn's daughter and Puck's daughter. There was a sheet of paper with roommate assignments on it. It looked like I would be with Quinn, Rachel with Mercedes, Brittany with Santana, Sam with Mike, Kurt with Blaine, and Puck with Artie.

I headed to my room and began to unpacking. Like I said, I'd never shared a room with anyone, so it would be an adjustment.

"So do you want to divide up the room or anything?" I asked.

"You know this makes me think of college." She declared. "Well it would if I had actually roomed with someone. Other than my sister, this is my first time rooming with someone as well."

"Where did you go to college?" I questioned.

"Georgia Tech." She answered. "After I finished, I moved to Savannah for work." '

Quinn had worked as a saleswoman at a jewelry store. You could see why she wanted to get out of it. It definitely wasn't the most interesting job. (That would be Puck, who taught guitar to the homeless)

"Attention, finalists." Jesse said over the intercom. "I need all of you to meet me in the living room to find out this week's theme."

We headed to the living room where Jesse was along with Sue, Will, and Emma.

"So for starters, I'd like to congratulate all of you for making it to the Top 12 and welcome you all to the judges' mansion. The music this week will come from the most popular 80s rock band of all time."

"Journey?" Rachel guessed. I couldn't name 12 Journey songs, but there was another band that I could think of.

"No, Bon Jovi." Jesse stated. "You'll need to fill out a list of three songs that you would like to sing and if there is any overlap, the producers will have the final say on who performs what, if you can't work it out yourselves."

That would explain why the best singers always seemed to get the best songs. I assumed that the tracks from _Slippery When Wet _would be the most sought after, so I would avoid any of those. I took a seat at the table and began to scroll through my phone for Bon Jovi songs. I ended up picking "Bed of Roses", "Raise Your Hands" and "It's My Life"

"Is Jon Bon Jovi going to be here for this?" Sam asked.

"No, but on Sunday and Monday, you'll be going into the studio to record." Jesse explained. "That's all for right now. Now make sure to have fun."

I then headed back to the room to finish unpacking. I wanted to make sure that I had things together before I went to see Sam. I looked over at Quinn.

"So do you snore by any chance?" I questioned.

"No." She replied. "I imagine that you wouldn't know if you do. Though, you should be warned that Beth might come in here if she has a nightmare."

"Okay." I agreed. "So what songs did you choose?"

"My first choice was 'Who Says You Can't Go Home'." She replied. "I don't think anyone else would pick it."

"You know I feel sorry for anyone that gets 'You Give Love A Bad Name'." I declared. "Blake Lewis owned that song the same that Carrie owned 'Alone' and David Cook owned 'Billie Jean'."

"So I can't believe that you kissed Sam on live TV." She stated.

"Well I said that I was going to kiss him if we both made the Top 12." I pointed out. "I did it immediately after we did."

"Well it's definitely a good way to make a name for yourself." She pointed out.

"That honestly didn't cross my mind at all." I admitted. "I wasn't trying to boost my standing. I was just kissing my boyfriend. Now, if you excuse me, I was going to go see him. I will talk to you some more later."

I then went to meet Sam in the game room.

"They have MLB 2010 The Show." I declared in excitement.

"You know I never pegged you for a baseball fan." He remarked.'

"Yeah, I love baseball, especially the Rays, but I still liked them when they were the Devil Rays. I even had a poster of Evan Longoria on my wall when I was in high school." I told him. "I didn't get to play the last game, but I bet I can beat you."

"Bring it on." He replied as we both sat down in front of the TV.

On Monday was my first time in the studio. I had to go through a few different takes to get it right, but it was really cool to hear myself on an MP3.

On Tuesday was the show and I was feeling ready. I wore a grey tank with a denim vest and shorts with leopard spot tights.

"Welcome everyone to _American Idol._" Jesse declared. "Tonight the Top 12 will be singing the music of the most successful and enduring band of the 80s: Bon Jovi. Let's meet the finalists: Kurt Hummel, Brittany S. Pierce, Artie Abrams, Rachel Berry, Blaine Anderson, Santana Lopez, Mike Chang, Faith Hudson, Puck, Quinn Fabray, Sam Evans, and Mercedes Jones."

Kurt was leading the show off singing 'Never Say Goodbye', the rarely-mentioned fourth single from _Slippery When Wet. _I thought that he did a good job of capturing the emotion of the song.

Brittany was up next, singing "Bad Medicine". It seemed to be the same Brittany that I had grown accustomed to. I wasn't sure how she kept staying around, but she obviously had a fanbase somewhere.

Artie then sang "It's My Life" and I loved it. He definitely knew how to rock, which was surprising for someone in a wheelchair.

Rachel followed him singing "Livin On A Prayer" and it was really good. She seemed like she could sing anything, which was exactly what Will had told her.

Blaine sang "Born to Be My Baby", which I hadn't actually heard before. The song sounded like it was ripping off "Livin On A Prayer", which might have explained why it wasn't that popular.

Santana had chosen "I'll Be There for You" as her song and I definitely knew that one. I almost put it on my form, but I decided against it because I liked the ones that I had chosen better. She sounded good on it too.

Mike then sang "Blaze of Glory" from Jon's solo album and it was good…until he forgot the words. That was pretty much a death sentence on the show and there was a strong possibility that he would be sent home.

I then head onto the stage and a video played about why I had chosen the song. I didn't really have a good answer for it, but I probably didn't really need one.

_Sitting here wasted and wounded at this old piano  
Trying hard to capture the moment this morning I don't know  
Cause a bottle of vodka's still lodged in my hand  
Some blonde gave me nightmares, I think that he's still in my bed  
As I dream about movies they won't make of me when I'm dead_

_I wanna lay you down in a bed of roses  
For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails  
I wanna be just as close as the holy ghost is  
And lay you down on a bed of roses_

_Well this hotel bar's hangover whiskey's gone dry  
The barkeeper's wig gone crooked he's giving me the eye  
Well I might have said yeah  
But I laughed so hard I think that I died_

_I wanna lay you down in a bed of roses  
For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails  
I wanna be just as close as the holy ghost is  
And lay you down on a bed of roses_

"So let me start by saying that I like that you chose a song that was outside of box." Will replied. "It's easier to make a song your own when it's not as well-known."

"I thought that you sounded great and I think that those leopard print tights are going to become a thing now." Emma replied.

"Her job isn't to be a trendsetter, it's to sing." Sue argued. "And I thought that you sounded great."

"If you wanna vote for Faith, dial 1-866-IDOLS08." Jesse declared.

Puck was up next and sang "You Give Love A Bad Name" and it wasn't as good as Blake's version. In fact it was pretty bad. If not for Mike forgetting the words, he could have found himself going home.

Quinn was up next.

_I spent twenty years trying to get out of this place  
I was looking for something that I couldn't replace  
I was running away from the only thing I've ever known  
__Like a blind dog without a bone  
I was a gypsy lost in the twilight zone  
I hijacked a rainbow and crashed into a pot of gold_

_I've been there, done that I aint looking back on the seeds I've sown  
Saving dimes spending too much time on the telephone  
Who says you can't go home?_

_Who says you can't go home?  
There's only one place that call me one of their own  
Just a hometown girl, born a rolling stone  
Who says you can't go home?  
Who says you can't go back?  
Been all around the world and as a matter of fact  
There's only place left I wanna go  
Who says you can't go home?  
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright_

_It doesn't matter where you are__  
__It doesn't matter where you go  
__If it's a million miles away  
__Or just a mile up the road  
Take it in, take it with you when you go  
Who says you can't go home_

_Who says you can't go home?  
There's only one place that call me one of their own  
Just a hometown girl, born a rolling stone  
Who says you can't go home?  
Who says you can't go back?  
Been all around the world and as a matter of fact  
There's only place left I wanna go  
Who says you can't go home?  
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright  
Who says you can't go home?_

Sam was up after her. He had a little help from the backup singers.

_It's all the same, only the names will change  
Every day it seems we're wasting away  
Another place where the faces are so cold  
I drive all night just to get back home_

_I'm a cowboy on a steel horse I ride  
I'm wanted (_**Wanted)**_ dead or alive  
Wanted _(**Wanted)** _dead or alive_

_Oh and I ride_

_And I walk these streets a loaded six-string on my back  
I play for keeps cause I might not make it back  
I've been everywhere and still I'm standing tall  
I've seen a million faces and I've rocked them all_

_I'm a cowboy on a steel horse I ride  
I'm wanted _**(Wanted) **_dead or alive  
I'm a cowboy I got the night on my side  
I'm wanted _**(Wanted) **_dead or alive_

_And I ride dead or alive  
I still drive dead or alive  
Dead or alive  
Dead or alive  
Dead or alive_

Mercedes closed the show with "Have A Nice Day", the less successful first single from same album as "Who Says You Can't Go Home". I took back everything I said about her typecasting herself.

On Wednesday, we were performing a not so famous Bon Jovi song since most of the other ones were taken.

_Hey, hey  
Hey, hey_

_In my rearview mirror, my life is getting clearer  
Sun sets high then slowly disappears  
These trinkets once were treasure, life changes like the weather  
You grow up, grow old or you hit the road round here_

_So I drive, watching white lines passing by  
With my plastic dashboard Jesus waiting there to greet us_

_Hey, hey I've finally my way, say goodbye to yesterday  
Hit the gas there aint no breaks on this lost highway  
Yeah I'm busting loose I'm letting go, out on this open road  
It's Independence Day on this lost highway  
Hey, hey, hey, hey_

_A putrid scene of lonely souls tell this boy which way to go  
Got the car, got the keys, farewell to mediocrity  
Kicking off the cruise control and turning up the radio  
Got just enough religion and a half tank of gas come on  
Let's go_

_I've finally my way saay goodbye to yesterday  
Hit the gas there aint no breaks on this lost highway  
Yeah I'm busting loose I'm letting go when I'm out on this open road  
It's Independence Day on this lost highway  
Hey, hey, Hey, hey  
Hey, hey_ _On this lost highway._

I didn't have to wait very long because I was actually the first person that was told I was safe. I took a seat on the couch.

The Bottom 3 ended up being Puck, Brittany, and Mike, which I thought was about right. I still thought that Mike was going home. The fact that Brittany was sent back to the couch only increased those odds and I was absolutely correct. Mike performed, but the judges decided not to save him and we were down to 11.

So Mike was the first one to go home and Faith and Quinn are roommates. I gave Puck a daughter of his own, but she really won't be involved in the story. The songs are "Who Says You Can't Go Home" from Have A Nice Day, "Wanted Dead or Alive" from Slippery When Wet, and "Lost Highway" from Lost Highway. Please don't forget to review.


	7. The 60s

I woke up on Friday to see a little girl in my room. I was a bit confused.

"Um hi." I greeted her.

"Mommy said that you were sleeping in here." She replied.

"You're Beth, right?" I asked. She nodded. "Where is your mommy?"

"She went to the store. She said that you would watch me." She stated. I would need to talk to her about this.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on my door. I opened it to see Sam.

"Now isn't really a good time." I explained. "I'm kind of stuck babysitting at the moment."

"How did that happen?" He asked me.

"Quinn left Beth with me." I answered. "We can do something later."

"Well I just wanted to tell you that the theme for next week is the 60s." He declared.

"Okay." I declared before I closed the door. I then looked at Beth. "So, are they any games you wanna play?"

"We could play hide and seek." She suggested. That probably wasn't a good idea.

"This is a big house." I explained. "I could be looking for you for a while."

"Well what do you think that we should do?" She asked me.

Before I could answer, the door opened and I realized that Quinn was back from the store.

"Hi Mommy." Beth said to her.

I decided to take Quinn out into the hallway.

"So how was she?" She asked.

"She was fine, but you can't just do that without asking me." I explained.

"I didn't think that it would be a big deal." She replied.

"If you need me to watch her, ask me." I declared. "It's okay to wake me up."

"Okay, fine." She agreed. "I'm sorry for leaving her with you, but I wasn't even gone for very long. So do you know what we're going to be singing next week?"

"It's going to be Songs of the 60s." I answered. "I've already picked out my song, even it's not technically from the 60s. The most famous version is, but the song is a lot older."

"Yeah, I don't know what song you're talking about." She declared.

"'House of the Rising Sun'." I replied. "It's an old folk song that was covered by The Animals in the 60s."

"I know the song, but I didn't know that it was a folk song." She stated. "I haven't decided what I was going to do yet."

After Quinn took Beth out of the room, I went to my dresser and pulled out my bikini and sent Sam a text to meet me at the pool.

I headed down the hall wearing my white bandeau bikini with a towel on my arm. I really didn't care if anyone stared at me. I was from Florida and I usually headed to the beach whenever I got the chance. In recent years, I was more likely to use Figgins' pool, but that was beside the point. When I got there, I noticed that Rachel was there with Kurt and so was Puck.

"Hey Pretty Lady." He greeted me.

"It's a wonder that you're single." Kurt quipped.

"Has Sam been here?" I asked.

Suddenly, someone came from behind and dragged me into the pool. I turned around to see Sam before I kissed him.

"I still think that this relationship is just a publicity stunt so they can make the final two together." Puck declared. I continued to kiss Sam, but raised my middle finger to him. I honestly didn't care what people thought about my relationship. I knew what was true and if we made the final two, it would be because we were better than everyone else.

On Saturday night, we got to go to the premiere of _The Last Song _which was a lot of fun because I got to meet Miley Cyrus, which was amazing. I loved her and I found out that she loved me too. I had heard teens loved me and I was happy about it.

On Tuesday night, we prepared to perform. I found out that I would be going last, which I was super excited for. It was possible that they thought that I had the best song.

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to 60s night on _American Idol." _Jesse stated. "Tonight, the Top 11 will be singing songs that were released from 1960-1969. Let's meet our finalists: Mercedes Jones, Puck, Quinn Fabray, Kurt Hummel, Brittany S. Pierce, Sam Evans, Santana Lopez, Blaine Anderson, Rachel Berry, Artie Abrams, and Faith Hudson."

Mercedes was up first and sang "River Deep, Mountain High" by Ike and Tina Turner. The song was famously Phil Spector's (back before he was a murderer) first big flop and funnily enough, it was also Mercedes's first big flop. I didn't think that she would go home, but it wasn't that good.

Puck then sang "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and it was okay. It really wasn't a song that took a lot of vocal chops to sing. The judges didn't really seem to like it, meaning he could have been going home.

Quinn then took the stage and I noticed that she was a singing a fun song.

He went away and you hung around**  
**And bothered me, every night**  
**And when I wouldn't go out with you**  
**You said things that weren't very nice

_My boyfriend's back and you're gonna be in trouble__**, **__(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)__**  
**__You see him comin' better cut out on the double__(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)__**  
**__You been spreading lies that I was untrue__(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)__**  
**__So look out now cause he's comin' after you_

_He's been gone for such a long time__(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)__**  
**__Now he's back and things will be fine(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)__**  
**__You're gonna be sorry you were ever born(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)__**  
**__Cause he's kinda big and he's awful strong(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)_

_(Hey he knows I wasn't cheating'!)__**  
**__(Now you're gonna get a beating'!)_

_(What made you think he'd believe all your lies?)__**  
**__(You're a big man now but he'll cut you down to size__**  
**_

_My boyfriend's back he's gonna save my reputation(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)__**  
**__If I were you I'd take a permanent vacation(Hey-la, hey-la, my boyfriend's back)_

_Know he's comin' after you__(La-day-la, my boyfriend's back)__**  
**__Because he knows I've been true now_

I really liked it. I thought it was some of that 60s bubblegum pop that people seemed to ignore.

Kurt then sang "Something" by the Beatles, even though it was more of a George Harrison. It was a pretty good performance. I thought Kurt might be able to have a career if he could find the right demographic.

Brittany was up next and sang "Happy Together" by the Turtles, and as hard as it was to believe, 60s throwback might be what she was best at because I thought that she sounded great.

After she was done, Sam began to sing while he played his guitar.

_You know that it would be untrue  
You know that I would be a liar  
If I was to say to you  
Girl, we couldn't get much higher_

Come on baby, light my fire  
Come on baby, light my fire  
Try to set the night on fire

_The time to hesitate is through  
No time to wallow in the mire  
Try now we can only lose  
And our love become a funeral pyre_

Come on baby, light my fire  
Come on baby, light my fire  
Try to set the night on fire, yeah

_You know that it would be untrue  
You know that I would be a liar  
If I was to say to you  
Girl, we couldn't get much higher_

Come on baby, light my fire  
Come on baby, light my fire  
Try to set the night on fire  
Try to set the night on fire  
Try to set the night on fire  
Try to set the night on fire

I thought that it was sexy. I could just imagine Sam without his shirt on like Jim Morrison's famous pose. It really turned me on, even though I wasn't really ready to have sex with him. I was pretty sure that they didn't want us to do that in between performances, especially since I still had to perform.

Santana followed him by singing "Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass and I thought it was pretty solid. She definitely had a set of pipes on her, but she needed to make sure that she used them right to advance in the competition.

After her was Blaine who sang "Hold Me Thrill Me, Kiss Me" by Mel Carter and I was surprised at how bad it was. Blaine was usually on point, but he just tanked. I figured that he could be in trouble.

Rachel sang "Don't Rain on My Parade" by Barbara Streisand and it seemed like she had been singing that song her whole life. I had never heard the original, but she sounded amazing with it.

Artie was next and sang "I'm A Believer" by The Monkees. I personally liked the Smash Mouth version better because it had a higher energy, but Artie's version was nice and he was good with his guitar.

I headed to the stage and a video played where I basically explained the origin of the song. No one knew who actually wrote it and it was long forgotten until the Animals covered it.

_There is a house in New Orleans  
They call the rising sun  
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy  
And God I know I'm one_

_My mother was a tailor  
Sewed my new blue jeans  
My father was a gambling man  
Down in New Orleans_

_Now the only thing a gambler needs  
Is a suitcase and trunk  
And the only time he's satisfied  
Is when he's on a drug_

_Oh mother tell your children  
Not to do what I have done  
Spend your life in sin and misery  
In the house of the rising sun_

_Well I've got one foot on the platform  
The other foot on the train  
I'm going back to New Orleans  
To wear that ball and chain_

_Well there is a house in New Orleans  
They call the rising sun  
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy  
And God I know I'm one_

_And God I know I'm one  
And God I know I'm one_

"That was unbelievable." Will told me. "That's one of the best performances I've ever seen on this show."

"I love that song, but I can't believe that you knew all that about it." Emma replied. "You were perfect."

"You know there are some performances that define a season of this show and I think that might just be one of them. Up before now, I didn't think that you stood a chance of actually winning this competition, but you surprised me. I think you might just be the dark horse."

I was pumped as soon as they finished.

"If you want to vote for Faith dial 1-866-IDOLS11." Jesse replied.

On Wednesday, we began with yet another number. They were becoming easier because we had less people singing.

_What would you think if I sang out of tune  
Would you stand up and walk out on me?  
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song  
And I'll try not to sing out of key_

_Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends  
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends  
Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends_

_What do I do when my love is away  
Does it worry you to be alone?  
How do I feel by the end of the day  
Are you sad because you're on your own?_

_No, I get by with a little help from my friends  
Mmm, get high with a little help from my friends  
Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends_

_Do you need anybody?  
I need somebody to love  
Could it be anybody?  
I want somebody to love_

_Would you believe in a love at first sight?  
Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time  
What do you see when you turn out the light?  
I can't tell you but I know it's mine_

_Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends  
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends  
Oh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends_

_Do you need anybody?  
I just need someone to love  
Could it be anybody?  
I want somebody to love_

_Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends  
Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends  
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends  
Yes, I get high with a little help from my friends  
With a little help from my friends_

Jesse then told Kurt, Santana and I that we were safe before sending Mercedes to the Bottom 3. I was a bit surprised even though she probably belonged there because of her performance. She was later joined by Blaine and Puck, which seemed to be about right. I thought maybe Brittany or Artie could be there, but I wasn't surprised. Puck was the first one sent back to the couch.

"And the person that is in danger of leaving us tonight is…Blaine." Jesse replied.

"Look, I can tell you right now that there is no chance that we're gonna save you, but you can sing if you want." Sue stated.

He actually sounded pretty good, but it wouldn't be wise to use the save this early. If he was voted off this early, he probably wasn't going to win anyway, so it was probably the right decision to make.

So Blaine went home and we got to meet Beth finally. Faith is on her way to being a frontrunner. The songs are "My Boyfriend's Back" by The Angels, "Light My Fire" by The Doors, "House of the Rising Sun" (Animals Version) and "With A Little Help from My Friends" by The Beatles. Please don't forget to review.


	8. Year They Were Born

I had decided to spend the night in Sam's room just so I could get a feeling of it. We hadn't actually slept together. It may have looked that way since I was in my nightgown and he didn't have a shirt, but we didn't.

"Morning." He replied.

"Good morning." I remarked with a smile as I pet his blonde hair.

"So my family's going to be in town for the show." He stated. "Do you still want to meet them?"

"Yes, I'd love that." I replied as I got out of his bed. "Maybe we can go out to dinner or something."

At that moment, my phone began to ring. It was my mom.

"Hey Mom." I remarked.

"I'm at LAX right now." She told me. "I'm coming to see you."

"Oh." I replied. "I didn't know that you were coming."

"All of the contestants' families will be there because they're doing a year you were born theme." She explained. I was silent for a second. "I take it that you didn't know that."

"No I didn't." I replied. I realized that I would have to find a song from 1989 that I wanted to sing. I hadn't really thought about what songs I liked from that year. I did know that Sam and I were born the same year, so we could look at the list of songs together. "So I'll see you soon then."

I then looked to Sam.

"So I need to get ready to meet my mom." I replied. "I didn't even know that she was coming."

"Well you should spend time with her." He suggested.

"I kind of wish that I had some clothes in here because people are probably going to think that we had sex." I told him as I headed to the door.

"Well, let them think what they want to think." He replied as he hugged me.

"So I found that the theme is the year you were born." I explained. "Since we were both born in the same year, we'll be able to pick our songs together."

I then exited the room and found myself face-to-face with Rachel in the hallway.

"It looks like you had an interesting night." She commented.

"It's not what you think." I replied.

"So you're not a skank that's using Sam to manipulate your way through the competition so you can win and dump him?" She retorted. "It's not like that would ever happen anyway."

"I'm not that kind of person." I replied. "And I have just as much of a chance as winning as you do."

"I think you seriously need a reality check. Your voice is screechy and you look like a trashy Avril Lavigne wannabe." She told me.

"My voice is what you hear on the radio." I argued. "Yours is something that you hear on Broadway. If you think that you would have any commercial success, you're mistaken."

"Alright, you two, break it up." Quinn declared as she stepped between us. "Faith, it looks like you need to get dressed."

I walked with her to our room.

"So did you really have sex with Sam?" She asked.

"No." I declared. "I just wanted to sleep next to him. So are your parents coming?"

"They didn't want to come, so Frannie is going to be standing in." She explained.

"You know that kind of sucks that they won't be here for you." I commented.

"I'm okay with it." She replied.

So everyone decided that my mom and Sam's family were going to be joining us for dinner. I had Sam on one side and his sister Stacey on the other.

"So what's competition like?" Stacey asked. "I was thinking about trying out next year."

I wasn't going to lie. That fact alone would probably get her a chance to see the judges.

"Maybe you should wait to finish school first." Sam suggested.

"But I don't want to wait that long." Stacey argued. "I want to go for things. I've already been through a lot in my life and I want to take the chance."

"You know waiting a few years would give you some time to develop your voice." I explained. "I didn't try out when I was 16 because I didn't think that I was ready. You want to be your best."

"You know Faith used to sing every day in the shower." Mom explained.

"Mom!" I replied with a blush on my face. I supposed it wasn't that embarrassing since I was definitely not the only person to do it, but it was still embarrassing hearing her say it.

On Tuesday, we were once again gathered for the show.

"Good evening and welcome again to _American Idol."_ Jesse stated. "This week the contestants will sing songs from the year that they were born. Here are your Top 10: Quinn Fabray, Artie Abrams, Faith Hudson, Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry, Santana Lopez, Puck, Brittany S. Pierce, Mercedes Jones, and Sam Evans."

Quinn was up first.

_Watching' every motion in my foolish lover's game  
On this endless ocean, finally lovers know no shame  
Turning' and returning to some secret place inside  
Watching' in slow motion as you turn around and say_

_Take my breath away  
Take my breath away_

_Watching', I keep waiting, still anticipating love  
Never hesitating' to become the fated ones  
Turning' and returning to some secret place to hide  
Watching' in slow motion as you turn to me and say, my love  
Take my breath away_

_Watching' every motion in this foolish lover's game  
Haunted by the notion, somewhere there's a love in flames  
Turning' and returning to some secret place inside  
Watching' in slow motion as you turn my way and say_

_Take my breath away  
My love, take my breath away  
My love, take my breath away  
My love, my love, take my breath away_

I thought it was interesting choice. It was a bit sad to see her sister talking when everyone else's parents were up there. If the performance wasn't good, that alone would probably take her to next week.

Artie was up next and sang "Don't Worry Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. It was definitely a ballsy move to go for a song without music, but I felt that it paid off for him.

Next was my turn. The video was mostly my mom talking with a little bit of me saying what song I was singing. I wore a blue lace dress with a red Crocs and matching beads.

_Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell  
Jimmie Rodgers on the Victrola up high  
Mama's dancing with baby on her shoulder  
The sun is setting like molasses in the sky_

_The boy could sing knew how to move everything  
Always wanting more he'd leave you longing for_

_Black velvet and that little boy's smile  
Black velvet and that slow Southern style  
A new religion that'll bring you to your knees  
Black velvet if you please_

_Every word of every song that he sang was for you  
In a flash he was gone, it happened so soon what could you do?_

_Black velvet and that little boy's smile  
Black velvet and that slow Southern style  
A new religion that'll bring you to your knees  
Black velvet if you please_

_If you please  
If you please  
If you please_

"You know I was hoping that you would do that song when I found out this theme." Will said. "That kind of bluesy rock really suits your voice."

"I agree, it was a great song choice." Emma added.

"Now, I don't think this is the way your career should go." Sue replied. "I can tell that you're more of an Avril punk pop style and you probably chose the best song from what you had to work with. I don't think that it was as good as last week, but I'm sure you'll be here next week."

"If you wanna vote for Faith call 1-866-IDOLS03." Jesse stated.

Next up was Kurt singing "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey. As strange as it was, it kind of worked. Kurt definitely had the most range of all of the guys and he needed it for that song.

Rachel sang "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston and for the first time, Rachel gave a performance that I didn't like. Whitney didn't seem like the direction for her to go in and upbeat Whitney definitely didn't suit her.

She was followed by Santana who performed "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House and I had to say that I loved it, one of the reasons being that I loved the song. I thought it was just an excellent performance.

Seventh was Puck who sang "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor and whereas Kurt picked a song that showed his range, Puck chose one that showed his lack of range. He didn't have the voice to sing a song like that, nor did he modify it to fit his voice better. He might have been going home.

Brittany then sang "Heaven is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle and while I thought it suited her voice, I still thought that she would at least end up in the Bottom 3, if not go home.

She was followed by Mercedes who sang "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick and others. It was pretty sappy. It seemed like Mercedes might have been starting to crash. I couldn't believe that she was falling apart. I had had high hopes for her, but it seemed to happen to at least one person every season.

Sam was up last and unlike Puck, he had rearranged the song to show off his strengths rather than his weaknesses.

_Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty  
Take me home (oh won't you please take me home)  
Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty  
Take me home (oh won't you please take me home)_

_Just a urchin livin' under the street I'm a hard case that's tough to beat  
I'm your charity case so buy me something to eat  
I'll pay you at another time  
Take it to the end of the line_

_Rags to riches or so they say  
Ya gotta keep pushing' for the fortune and fame  
You know it's all a gamble when it's just a game  
Ya treat it like a capital crime  
Everybody's doin' the time_

_Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty  
Oh won't you please take me home  
Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty  
Take me home, yeah yeah_

_I wanna see, what a woman can be  
I want to take you home  
Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty  
Oh won't you please take me home  
I wanna go, I wanna know  
Oh won't you please take me home  
_

On Wednesday, we started off the show by singing a song from 2002, the year _American Idol_ was born so to say.

_Making my way downtown, walking fast  
Faces pass and I'm homebound  
Staring blankly ahead, just making my way  
Making my way through the crowd_

_And I need you and I miss you  
And now I wonder_

_If I could fall into the sky  
Do you think time would pass me by  
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles  
If I could just see you tonight_

_And I, I don't wanna let you know I, I drown in your memory  
I, I don't wanna let this go, I, I, I don't_

_Making my way downtown, walking fast  
Faces pass and I'm homebound  
Staring blankly ahead, just making my way  
Making my way through the crowd_

_And I still need you, and I still miss you  
And now I wonder_

_If I could fall into the sky  
Do you think time would pass us by  
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles  
If I could just see you  
If I could fall into the sky  
Do you think time would pass me by  
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles  
If I could just see you if I could just hold you tonight_

We then got to the eliminations, and it would probably just be easiest to say who was in the Bottom 3. There was Brittany and Puck and instead of Mercedes like I expected, Kurt. I was kind of shocked by that. Maybe people didn't like how he sang a Mariah song. Anyway, he was first sent back.

Brittany and Puck were probably the right bottom 2. I waited for Jesse to give the result.

"And the person who is in danger of going home tonight is…Puck." He said. Just like before, they didn't use the save. So it meant that we were down to 9.

So Puck went home and we got to meet Sam and Faith's families. The songs are "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin, "Black Velvet" by Alannah Miles, "Paradise City" by Guns N Roses, and "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. Please don't forget to review.


	9. Number 1s

"So it seems like things are really heating up between you and Sam." Quinn remarked.

"I would call it a natural relationship progression." I said. "You know maybe it was a mistake to kiss him on TV."

"I don't think that it was." She opined. "I don't see why you should have to keep your relationship a secret. The only thing that you should be upset about is the name that the media gave you two. What the hell is a Samth?"

"I guess our names don't exactly blend well together." I commented. "So are you excited about next week?"

"I don't know." She replied.

"How can you be excited? We get to see a free concert." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's Ke$ha." She reminded me.

"She may not be the best be the best singer, but she has had a number one single." I explained. "Two if you count that song with Flo Rida, but I think she doesn't want to be associated with it."

"Well, we'll see how it goes." She replied. "Some were you and Sam going to go on any dates soon?"

"Well tomorrow we were going to go to the waterpark together." I explained.

"Well you need to make sure that your bikini top is tied tight so you don't lose it going down any slides." She instructed. "It's pretty embarrassing."

"Well I was probably going to wear a bandeau top." I declared.

"That seems like a good call." She agreed.

"Do you and Beth want to come with us?" I asked.

"I think she'd really like that." She stated. "I'll go ask her."

The following day, we all went to the water park. They had plenty of slides and a wave pool. We did have to sign a few autographs, well Sam and I did. I had a strange amount of girls wanting me to sign their boobs. I could never see the point of that. It would just wash off unless they were going to get it tattooed over. A few of them even went back in the water. I would think that they wouldn't want them because then ink would get in the water. I made sure to avoid those areas.

All in all, it was a pretty good day. Beth seemed to have fun and I had fun with Sam. I would have liked it to be more intimate, but there wasn't anything that I could do about that.

The next night, we went to the Ke$ha concert and I could tell that Ke$ha really knew how to perform and she looked like she was having a good time doing it. I would call both of those a good thing. And she even sang a few songs without Autotune and they were great. I didn't know that she could actually sing. That made her better than Katy Perry in my book.

For the week, we would be singing number one songs. I had already picked mine and wanted to hear what Ke$ha thought about it.

"Hi Faith." She greeted me.

"Hey." I replied as I gave her a hug.

"So, do you know what song you were going to sing?" She asked.

"I was planning on singing 'Girlfriend' by Avril." I explained. I then noticed that she looked a little uneasy. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not entirely sure that is the song that you should be singing." She declared. "I think that it wouldn't give a chance to shine vocally since it really doesn't have much for you to do. I think that Avril is a great singer, but that song doesn't really show much. It seems like more of a song that you would do a cheerleading routine to than sing."

I frowned.

"Look, I'm only here to give you advice and if you really want to sing it, I can't stop you." She explained. "Were there any songs that you might be interested in singing?"

"I was also considering 'My Life Would Suck Without You' by Kelly Clarkson, but I thought that it would be a little cliché to sing a Kelly Clarkson song." I explained. "Plus I'd have a bunch of people comparing me to her."

"Well you're going to get compared to the original artist for whatever song you sing." She pointed out. "Do you think that you can give me a performance of it?"

I sang the song for her the best that I could.

"You sounded great on that." She replied. "You should totally sing that live. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings any, but I don't want you to make a mistake and get sent home."

I supposed that she was right and the song that I would be performing instead wasn't exactly a safe choice either. I went to the studio and did the recording, even though I still wanted to sing 'Girlfriend'. I just hoped that people would like it.

I wasn't as confident on Tuesday night. I was good at not letting that show through my performance.

"Good evening, and welcome back to _American Idol." _Jesse declared. "This week our contestants will be singing number one hits and will be mentored by someone who recently hit number one herself: Ke$ha. Now let's give it up for our contestants: Brittany S. Pierce, Mercedes Jones, Sam Evans, Santana Lopez, Faith Hudson, Artie Abrams, Quinn Fabray, Kurt Hummel, and Rachel Berry."

Brittany was up first and "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry and I didn't really know what to think about it. The vocals weren't really that good and I couldn't help but wonder if the producers were trying to get rid of her by making her go first.

Mercedes was next and sang "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. I couldn't help but think that it the most predictable song that she could have sang. The performance was good if not a little bland. I just wasn't sure if always performance the same songs would hurt her.

Sam then headed to the stage and began to sing.

_I used to rule the world, seas would rise when I gave the word  
Now in the morning I sleep alone, sweep the streets I used to own  
I used to roll the dice, feel the fear in my enemies' eyes  
Listen as the crowd would sing "Now the old king is dead, long like the king"  
One minute I held the key, next the walls were closed on me  
I discovered that my castle stands, on pillars of salt, pillars of sand_

_I hear Jerusalem bells ringing, Roman cavalry choirs singing  
Be my mirror, my sword and shield, my missionaries in a foreign field  
For some reason I can't explain, I know St Peter will call my name  
Never an honest word, but that was when I ruled the world_

_It was the wicked and wild wind blew down the doors to let me in  
Shattered winds and the sounds of drums, people couldn't believe what I'd become  
Revolutionaries wait for my head on a silver  
Just a puppet on a lonely string, oh who would ever want to be king _

_I hear Jerusalem bells ringing, Roman cavalry choirs singing  
Be my mirror, my sword and shield, my missionaries in a foreign field  
For some reason I can't explain, I know St Peter will call my name  
Never an honest word, but that was when I ruled the world_

Santana was up after him and sang "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys. I recently found out that her last name wasn't actually Keys. It would have been highly coincidental if a pianist had that last name. Anyway, the song was good, but I was thinking more about Alicia Keys than I was about Santana during the performance.

I then headed to the stage to sing and they showed my video with Ke$ha. I took a deep breath and began to sing.

_Guess this means you're sorry, you're standing at my door  
Guess this means you take back all you said before  
Like how much you wanted anyone but me  
Said you'd never come back but here you are again_

_Cause we belong together now yeah  
Forever united again somehow yeah  
You got a piece of me and honestly  
My life would suck without you _

_Being without you is dysfunctional  
I really shouldn't miss you but I can't let you go_

_Cause we belong together now yeah  
Forever united again somehow yeah  
You got a piece of me and honestly  
My life would suck without you  
Cause we belong together now yeah  
Forever united again somehow yeah  
You got a piece of me and honestly  
My life would suck without you _

"I don't know if this show would suck, but certainly wouldn't be as good without you." Will declared.

"You sounded so comfortable on that stage." Emma declared.

"I've gotta say Ke$ha really helped with that one." Sue remarked. "I think that you made the right choice singing that."

"So how did you feel about that song?" Jesse asked me.

"Well I feel better than before I sang it." I declared.

"If you wanna vote for Faith call 1-866-IDOLS05." Jesse explained.

Next up was Artie who sang "Heaven" by Bryan Adams and it was good in a typical Bryan Adams way. Adult Contemporary wouldn't be a bad direction for him to go in.

Quinn was after him.

_Wake up with bloodshot eyes, I struggle to memorize  
The way it felt between your thighs, the pleasure that made you cry  
It feels so good to be bad not worth the aftermath, after that  
After that I try to get you back _

_I still don't have the reason and you don't have the time  
And it really makes me wonder if I ever gave a damn about you and I_

_Give me something to believe cause I don't believe in you anymore, anymore  
I wonder if it even makes a difference, if it makes a difference to try  
And you talk about how you're feeling but I don't believe it's true anymore, anymore  
I wonder if it even makes a difference cry, oh no so this is goodbye_

_I've been here before one day I'll wake up and it won't hurt anymore  
You caught me in a lie, I have no alibi, the words you say don't have a meaning cause_

_I still don't have the reason and you don't have the time  
And it really makes me wonder if I ever gave a damn about you so this is goodbye_

_Give me something to believe cause I don't believe in you anymore, anymore  
I wonder if it even makes a difference, if it makes a difference to try  
And you talk about how you're feeling but I don't believe it's true anymore, anymore  
I wonder if it even makes a difference cry, oh no so this is goodbye  
So this is goodbye, yeah so this goodbye, yeah so this is goodbye _

After that, Kurt sang "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, and it was as creepy as when Sting sung it. I wasn't sure why people tried to say it was this big romantic anthem. He's stalking her.

Rachel closed the show by singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler and I really wished that she wasn't such a bitch because she had a good voice.

On Thursday, we led off the show by singing a former number one song.

_Hey there Delilah, what's it like in New York City  
I'm a thousand miles away, but girl tonight you look so pretty  
Yes you do Times Square can shine as bright as you  
I swear it's true_

_Hey there Delilah, don't you worry about the distance  
I'm right here if you get lonely, give this song another listen  
Close your eyes, listen to my voice it's my disguise  
I'm by your side_

_Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
What you do to me_

_A thousand miles seems pretty far  
But they've got planes and trains and cars  
I'd walk to you if I had no other way  
Our friends will all make fun of us  
But we'll just laugh along because  
We know that none of them have felt this way  
Delilah, I can promise you that buy the time that we get through  
The world will never ever be the same and you're to blame_

_Hey there Delilah, you be good and don't you miss me  
Two more years and you'll be done with school and I'll be making history  
Like I do, you'll know it's all because of you  
We can do whatever we want to  
Hey there Delilah here's to you this one's for you_

_Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
What you do to me_

We were split up into three groups. I was with Rachel and Sam. There was also Artie, Quinn and Santana, as well as one of Mercedes, Brittany and Kurt. I thought it was pretty obvious who the bottom 3 was.

Before the results, Ke$ha sang her new single "Blah Blah Blah" with 3OH!3 and it was one of the worst songs that I had ever heard. I couldn't believe that she such a crappy song.

Any it was revealed that Sam, Rachel and I were the top 3 and Mercedes, Brittany, and Kurt were the bottom 3. I thought any of them could go home. Jesse sent Brittany back to safety, likely to the annoyance of the producers, leaving just Mercedes and Kurt.

"And the person in danger of leaving this week is…Mercedes." Jesse declared.

Mercedes then gave a hell of a performance, but was not saved because the judges couldn't reach a unanimous decision.

So Mercedes went home and Brittany lives on. The songs are "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay, "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon 5, and "Hey There Delilah" by The Plain White T's. Please don't forget to review.


	10. Disney

Sam and I were currently with everyone else as Jesse announced what the theme for next week was going to be.

"This week's theme is going to be Disney." He explained. "It's not just songs from Disney movies, but also artists associated with Disney."

I knew exactly what song I was going to sing. It took me back to a conversation that I had had with Miley.

"_Hey Faith." Miley declared as she grabbed me as I was about to go. "If you get the chance, do you think that you can perform one of my songs on the show?" _

"_Sure, which one?" I asked. _

"_Whichever song that you think fits your voice best." She answered. Of course, I didn't really have that many to choose from. _

I had made my promise and I was going to stick to it and It was probably a good time because I was pretty sure that America wanted to see me have fun with a performance.

Speaking of having fun, Sam and I were going to go a dance club. We couldn't drink, but I was okay with that. Honestly, if someone needed alcohol to have fun, they probably weren't a very happy person and I was happy.

"So I'm telling you now that you should probably lead because I am a horrible dancer." I explained.

"You can't be that bad." He explained.

"I'm worse." I declared. "I once broke a girl's nose in high school."

"How did that happen?" He asked in surprise.

"I threw my hands back and accidentally hit her in the face." I explained.

"Okay, I'll make sure to lead." He agreed. "We could only dance to slow songs if that's what you'd like."

"That would probably be best for everyone in attendance." I agreed. "Do you think that they'll play in slow songs?"

"We're not going to a rave or anything." He pointed out. "This place has a regular dance floor. It'll be like a wedding."

"I've never actually been to a wedding." I admitted.

"Okay that has got to change." He remarked. "I'm going to ask Jesse if he knows anyone who is getting married soon."

"You don't have to do that." I told him.

"I want to experience what it's like to go to a wedding." He stated.

When we got to the club, we heard that they were playing the slow of 'Everytime We Touch' by Cascada. I remembered actually hearing the dance version on the radio when I was in high school and it was a little strange. He took me to the floor and we began to sway to the music together.

"I used to listen this song every day when I was in high school." I explained.

"Yeah, it was kind of weird that a dance song like this was a legitimate hit." He agreed. "I don't know if that's ever going to happen again."

"Who knows maybe actually club music will become popular in a few years." I replied. "Like there's this Guetta guy in Europe who puts his name before the artist."

"Well Timbaland has done that." He pointed out.

"Timbaland is different though because he's usually recognizable in his songs. You can hear a little bit of him in his work." I stated.

"You know I like how you know so much about music." He commented.

"If I did go to college, I would probably be studying music." I explained. "I already know how to play it, but I would want to know what the performers were thinking when they made their famous songs. Knowing the story makes it even better."

"What would you write about if you were writing songs?" He asked.

"Well I don't have a lot to write about I admitted." I declared. "I haven't been through a lot in my life, other than getting dumped on prom night and no one wants to hear about that."

"They might not want to hear a whole song about it, but it's probably something that you could put into a song." He pointed out. "Not to mention Taylor Swift managed to turn high school heartache into a career, so you could probably do it too if you wanted."

"Taylor was in high school when her career started." I pointed out.

On Tuesday night, we prepared for another show. I really hoped that people would like my performance. I didn't have a pole because I didn't want to be imitative.

"Good evening everyone and welcome back once again to _American Idol._" Jesse declared. "This week we will be exploring Disney, not only songs of the past, but also of the present and what Disney has put out."

He played a video of Miley singing 'The Climb'.

"Let's meet our contestants: Santana Lopez, Kurt Hummel, Faith Hudson, Rachel Berry, Sam Evans, Brittany S. Pierce, Quinn Fabray and Artie Abrams."

Santana was first and sang "Beauty and the Beast" by…I honestly didn't know the name of the singer. I then looked it up and saw that there was a pop version by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson. I had to stop becoming distracted by her performances.

Kurt was next and sang "Go The Distance" by Michael Bolton from _Hercules_. He sounded pretty good, but he probably should have sounded more confident that he actually could go the distance and win the show. He had a good voice, but not enough confidence.

I then headed to the stage and the video played about the promise that I had made to Miley and how I loved watching the Disney channel.

_I hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and card again  
Welcome to the land of fame excess am I gonna fit in?  
Jumped in a cab here I am for the first time, look to my right and see the Hollywood sign  
This is all so crazy, everybody's looking so famous_

_My tummy's turning and I'm feeling kind of homesick  
Too much pressure and I'm nervous  
That's when the taximan turned on the radio and the Jay-Z song was on  
And the Jay-Z song was on and the Jay-Z song was on._

_So I put my hands up, they're playing my song, the butterflies fly away  
Nodding my head like yeah, moving my hips like yeah  
I've got my hands up, they're playing my song, I know I'm gonna be okay  
Yeah it's a party in the USA, yeah it's a party in the USA_

_Feeling jumping gonna fly back to my hometown tonight  
Something stops me every time, the DJ plays song and I feel alright_

_So I put my hands up, they're playing my song, the butterflies fly away  
Nodding my head like yeah, moving my hips like yeah  
I've got my hands up, they're playing my song, I know I'm gonna be okay  
Yeah it's a party in the USA, yeah it's a party in the USA_

"You know you could really have a future in pop music." Will stated. "You sounded great, even better than Miley."

"I liked how you let yourself let loose." Emma declared. "You're a fun person to be around and your music should show it. It was the perfect song for you to sing."

"I actually really don't like that song." Sue declared. "But you made it somewhat enjoyable to listen to."

"If you wanna vote for Faith dial 1-866-IDOLS03." Jesse declared.

Rachel was after me and sang "You'll Be In My Heart" by Phil Collins from _Tarzan_ and it was a strange song choice for her. She should have chosen one of the princess songs with the booming choruses if she was gonna pick a song from a movie.

Sam was up next.

_Way behind the water hole, a little down the line  
The jungle and the plains and peaks are scheduled to be mine  
I'm gonna be the ruler of most everything around  
From the grandest of the mountains to the humble common ground_

_My reign will be a super awesome thing  
Oh, I just can't wait to be king_

_I'm gonna be a noble king unscrupulously fair  
I only need a little time perhaps a little hair  
I'm gonna be the main event like no king was before  
I'm brushing up on looking down I'm working on my roar_

_The fauna and the flora gonna swing  
Oh, I just can't wait to be king_

_No one saying do this, no one saying be there  
No one saying stop that no one saying see here  
Free to run around all day  
I'll be free to do it my way_

_The monarchy is waiting to go zing  
Oh, I just can't wait to be king  
Oh, I just can't wait to be king_

I actually liked how the song showed a lot of confidence because unlike Kurt, I actually believed that he wanted to win the competition. We probably would have to have that talk as we got closer to the finale, assuming that both of us were in the finale, of course

Brittany was next and "That's How You Know" by Amy Adams from _Enchanted. _She seemed like she was definitely having fun with the song, but I was pretty sure that she was going home, even though I had been thinking that for weeks.

Quinn was up next.

_Did you forget that I was even alive?  
Did you forget everything we ever had?  
Did you forget did you forget  
About me?_

_Did you regret (did you regret) ever standing by my side?  
Did you forget (did you forget) what we were feeling inside?  
Now I'm left to forget  
About us_

_But somewhere we went wrong  
We were once so strong  
Our love is like a song  
You can't forget it  
Somewhere we went wrong  
We were once so strong  
Our love is like a song  
You can't forget it at all_

_And at last all the pictures have been burned  
And all the past is just a lesson that we've learned  
I won't forget it  
Please don't forget us_

_Somewhere we went wrong  
Our love is like a song  
But you won't sing along  
You've forgotten about us_

It meant that I wasn't the only one who hadn't chosen a song from a movie. We had the option not and I liked the song since it showed vulnerability.

Artie closed the show by singing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" also by Elton John and also from _The Lion King. _He sounded pretty emotional and I was pretty sure that it would take him to next week.

On Wednesday night, we began the show by singing a song from a more modern Disney movie. You could even say that it was postmodern.

_Ever ever after_

_Storybook endings, fairytales coming true  
Deep down inside you wanna believe they still do  
And a secret is taught, it's our favorite part of the story  
Let's just admit that we all wanna make it to_

_Ever ever after if we just don't get it our own way  
Ever ever after it may only be a wish away_

_No wonder your heart feels it's flying, your head feels it's spinning  
Each happy ending is a brand new beginning  
Let yourself be enchanted you just might break through_

_To Ever ever after, forever could start today  
Ever ever after, maybe it's just one wish away  
Your ever ever after_

_Ever ever, ever after  
Ever ever after I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss  
Forever ever after_

It was then followed by a performance by Miley, singing "When I Look To You" from _The Last Song. _I was pretty sure that I liked the other song from the soundtrack more, especially since it was the titular song.

We then headed to the results and the Bottom 3 were Brittany, Artie, and Santana, the latter I was a little surprised to see there. She was the first one sent back to the couches which left Brittany and Artie. I probably would have replaced him with Kurt because his performance was uninspired.

"And the person in danger of leaving us this week is…Artie." Jesse declared. I was shocked. I couldn't believe that they were going to let him go. My thought was that maybe he deserved the save. That was what it was for after all. The only problem I had with the idea was maybe America didn't like the fact that he was in a wheelchair. It wasn't right but if it didn't stop him from going home next week, was there really any point in using it. After much deliberation, the judges decided not to save him. They might have been thinking the same thing as me.

So another week goes by without the use of the save, so you know that it must be coming up soon. The songs are "Party in the USA" by Miley, "I Just Can't Wait to be King" by Elton John, "Don't Forget" by Demi Lovato and "Ever Ever After" by Carrie Underwood. Please don't forget to review.


	11. Rock

I was on Sam's bed in a black tank top in shorts. One thing that I liked about California was that it was always warm, but never too warm unless the Santa Annas were blowing.

"So have you thought any about when you want to have sex?" I asked. I knew that he had a strong Christian background but I didn't know if he was someone who wanted to wait until marriage like the Jonas Brothers. We hadn't discussed it.

"Well I think that sex should be about love." He replied. "Though, I will say that I haven't exactly had it yet."

"Oh." I remarked. "I've never taken anyone's virginity before."

"So when did you first have sex?" He asked.

"It was on my prom night and it went really badly." I explained. "Well it started that way. The guy wasn't a virgin and I kind of…bit him."

"Bit him where." He asked. I just pointed down "Oh…"

"Yeah." I stated. "I think I'm better at it now. I've actually only had sex once since then. So what I'm saying is I really don't have that experience either."

"Well I think when the time is right, it'll happen and it's not something that we should plan for." He declared.

"Okay, that's probably a good idea." I agreed. It seemed like planning for sex caused it to not go as well. "So I heard that there's another celebrity mentor this week. He was in Nirvana."

"I thought Krist Novoselic was too busy being a politician." He declared. I just looked at him.

"Please tell me that you're joking." I remarked.

"Yes, I know it's Dave Grohl." He said. "I'm dyslexic, but not stupid."

"Good, because I might have to rethink this relationship if your IQ was too low." I joked with a smile.

"There's no way that you could resist this." He replied. I giggled and started to make out with him. I had enough impulse control to stop, which I felt was a good quality to have.

"Well I want you to know that when we do have sex, I want it to be special." I told him.

"I'll do my best to make it special." He promised.

"There is a good chance that just being with someone that I love will make it special." I pointed out. "I don't want anyone from you then for you to just be yourself."

Later in the week, we met up with Dave Grohl. I couldn't help but wonder what he was going to say about the music. I was a bit surprised that he even watched the show to be honest. It didn't seem like something that he would do. I actually didn't even know a lot about The Foo Fighters.

"So Faith, it's good to see you." He told me. He seemed like a pretty nice guy.

"I'm a bit surprised to see you here." I admitted.

"Well I'm here to help you." He declared. "So what song were you going to sing?"

"I was thinking of singing 'Savin' Me' by Nickelback." I declared. I decided that it would be best just to sing it for him and see what he thought.

"So this is a song that is primarily sung by two people." He stated. "Were you planning on doing it like that?"

"I didn't know that it was sung by two people." I replied.

"Yes, whenever the band performs it in concert, guitarist Ryan Peake comes in at certain parts." He explained.

"Well I really wanted to sing this one all by myself." I answered. "Do you think I'll have any problems with that?"

"I think you can probably find a way to make it work." He told me. "You just have to know that there isn't going to be anyone backing you up and you need to make sure that you bring it."

"Can I ask you something not related to my song?" I questioned.

"Sure what is it?" He asked.

"How did you know that you wanted to start your own band?" I questioned. "Actually no, that's not what I wanted to ask. Let's just go into the big question. What kind of person Kurt Cobain was really? I only know what the media says about him."

"Kurt was a nice guy generally. Sometimes he would be drunk or high but he was a visionary." Dave answered. "He was irreplaceable, which is why Krist and I didn't just look for a new singer. We didn't want the band to go on without him and I don't think he would have wanted it either. Speaking of which, his daughter actually had a request for you to give a shout out to her."

"I will do that." I promised. I then realized a problem. "What was her name again?"

"It's Frances Bean Cobain." He told me.

On Tuesday, I waited once again for my chance to perform.

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to _American Idol." _Jesse declared. "This week our contestants will be singing rock music and there will be a special guest mentor."

He then went into a montage of clips about Dave Grohl. There was surprisingly a lot to say about him. I also found out that he was in another band called Them Crooked Vultures.

"Now let's meet our contestants." Jesse declared. "Sam Evans, Rachel Berry, Santana Lopez, Faith Hudson, Kurt Hummel, Quinn Fabray and Brittany S. Pierce."

I stood on the side of the stage and watched as Sam performed his song. I kind of wished that I was wearing a white shirt and nothing else at the moment.

_I don't know where I'm going but I sure know where I've been  
Hanging on the promises in the songs of yesterday  
And I've made up my mind I aint wasting no more time  
Here I go again, here I go again_

_Cause I know what it means  
To walk along the lonely street of dreams _

_Here I go again on my own  
Going down the only road I've ever known  
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone  
And I've made up my mind  
I aint wasting no more time  
Here I go again _

_I'm just another heart in need of rescue  
Waiting on love's sweet charity  
And I'm gonna hold on for the rest of my days _

_Cause I know what it means  
To walk along this lonely street of dreams _

_Here I go again on my own  
Going down the only road I've ever known  
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone  
And I've made up my mind  
I aint wasting no more time  
Here I go again, here I go again_

I thought that he did pretty well. I threw my hands in the air and did the "Rock on" sign a few times.

Next up was Rachel who sang "We Will Rock You" by Queen and I even though I didn't like her, I was clapping along with everyone else. Since it was such a short song, she got to perform the whole thing. I almost expected her to transition into "We Are The Champions" like Michael Johns did when he performed it, but she didn't do that.

After her was Santana, who sang "Dr. Feelgood" by Mötley Crüe. I was a bit surprised that she was able to perform that song because it did have some drug references in it with Dr. Feelgood actually being a drug dealer. It didn't really sound right for her voice either.

I then headed to the stage where they showed the video of my session with Dave before I went into my song.

_Prison gates won't open up for me on these hands and knees I'm crawling  
And oh I reach for you  
Well I'm terrified or these four walls these iron bars can't hold my soul_

_And all I need is you __(come please I'm calling)  
__And oh I scream for you __(Hurry I'm falling, I'm falling )_

_Show me what it's like __(to be the last one standing)  
__And teach me wrong from right __(and I'll show what I can be)  
__And Say it for me, say it to me __(and I'll leave this life behind me)  
__Say it if it's worth savin' me _

_Heaven's gates won't open up for me with these broken wings I fall  
And all I see is you  
These city walls aint got no love for me I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story_

_And all I scream for you (__come please I'm calling)  
__And all I need from you __(Hurry I'm falling , I'm falling)_

_Show me what it's like __(to be the last one standing  
__And teach me wrong from right (__and I'll show what I can be)  
Say it for me, say it to me (and I'll leave this life behind me)  
Say it if it's worth savin' me _

"I didn't think that was one of your better performances." Will declared. I pouted since it was one of my favorite songs.

"I think that you look great and you sounded great." Emma told me.

"I don't think that was the right song choice for you." Sue stated. "I would have liked to see you sing something by Joan Jett."

"If you wanna vote for Faith, dial 1-866-IDOLS04." He declared.

"Before we got to commercial, I wanted to give a shout-out to Frances Bean Cobain." I remarked before giving him back to the microphone.

Next up was Kurt who sang "Everything I Do, I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams and I thought that it wasn't really a rock song. Bryan Adams is more of an adult contemporary singer and if he was going to sing a Bryan Adams song, it should have been "Summer of 69", even though I wasn't sure that he could pull it off.

Quinn then headed to the stage.

_It's easier not to be wise and measure these things by your brains  
I sank into Eden with you alone in the church by and by  
I'll read to you here, save your eyes you'll need them  
Your boat is at sea Your anchor is up, you've been swept away  
And the greatest of teachers won't hesitate to leave you there, by yourself, chained to fate_

I alone love you  
I alone tempt you  
I alone love you  
Fear is not the end of this

_Oh, now, we took it back too far, only love can save us now,  
All these riddles that you burn, all come running back to you, all these rhythms that you hide  
Only love can save us now  
all these riddles that you burn yeah, yeah, yeah _

_I alone love you  
I alone tempt you  
I alone love you  
Fear is not the end of this  
Fear is not the end of this_

I thought it was a very strange song choice. In fact it was probably a mistake for her to sing that and I really hoped that it wouldn't cost her.

Brittany closed the show by singing Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" and I had basically accepted what I thought of Brittany's performances didn't matter anymore.

On Wednesday night, we were performing a big rock hit from a few years ago.

_This world will never be what I expected  
And if I don't belong who would have guessed it  
I will not leave alone everything that I own  
To make you feel like it's not too late, it's never too late_

_Even if I say it'll be alright  
Still I hear you say you want to end your life  
Now and again we try to just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it all around cause it's not too late  
It's never too late_

_The world knew won't come back  
The time we've lost can't get back  
The life we had won't be as I came _

_This world will never be what I expected  
And if I don't belong…_

_Even if I say it'll be alright  
Still I hear you say you want to end your life  
Now and again we try to just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it all around cause it's not too late  
It's never too late  
It's not too late, it's never too late_

Jesse then split us into two groups. Rachel, Brittany and Sam were on one side of the stage and Kurt, Quinn, and Santana were on the other.

"Faith, you safe." He explained. "Now I need you to figure out which group you belong in."

I was pretty sure that I knew who the Bottom 3 was, but I didn't want to do it. I crossed my legs and took a seat in the middle of the stage.

"Okay, just scoot over a little bit then." Jesse instructed. He then went to the Bottom 3 and sent Santana back to safety. "The person in danger of leaving tonight is…Quinn."

She started to sing her song to determine if she would be saved or not. I couldn't help but wonder if she would be because the save would only last for one more week.

_Let it go, let roll right off your shoulder  
Don't you know the hardest part is over  
Let it in, let your clarity define you in the end  
We will only just remember how it feels_

_Our lives remain in these small hours  
These little wonders these twists and turns of fate  
Time falls away, but these small hours  
These small hours, still remain_

_All of my regret will wash away somehow  
But I cannot forget the way I feel right now_

_And these small hours  
These little wonders, these twists and turns of fates  
Oh, these twists and turns of fate  
Time falls away, but these small hours  
These small hours, still remain  
They still remain  
These little wonders still remain_

"So, Quinn, we have decided that we are going to save you." Sue declared.

"Okay, we'll be back next week with Taylor Swift, where two contestants will go home." Jesse told us as the show ended.

So Quinn was saved and Dave Grohl was the guest mentor. Also when will Sam and Faith have sex? The songs are "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake, "I, Alone" by Live, "Never Too Late" by Three Days Grace, and "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas. Please don't forget to review.


	12. Country

Quinn and I went back to our room after the show. She was still shaking a little bit.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"I'm fine." She lied. I just stared at her. "Okay, so I'm not fine. I'm a little freaked out. I can't believe that I was so close to being voted off. Actually, I was voted off and I'm only still here because of the save."

"But you are here." I pointed out. "You get another chance and I think that you need to do better this week. You can turn around your bad fortune with the right song choice."

"You know you're such a good friend." She told me as she got closer to me.

"Well we've been together since the beginning, along with Sam." I explained. "It would be pretty awesome if we were the final three."

"That would be pretty cool." She agreed. "It would be even cooler if we were the final two."

"That would be interesting." I stated. I wasn't sure if I should tell her that I would rather have Sam in the Final 2.

"We could have a lot of fun together." She stated. It sounded seductive. The fact that she kissed me right after it only added to that. I quickly got off the bed in shock.

"What the fuck?" I asked. "You know that I'm with Sam and I also don't like girls."

"How do you know?" She inquired.

"Look, all I want to be is roommates and friends and nothing more." I explained. "If you're looking for a girlfriend, you need to look somewhere else."

"Okay." She replied.

"Okay?" I mimicked. I expected a little more resistance.

"I'm not going to waste my time on someone who isn't interested." She declared. "I understand that no means no. I'm sorry for kissing you."

I was confused but glad that it was resolved. I figured that there was no reason to tell Sam about it since nothing actually happened.

The next we headed to the pool for a date in the mansion. We were going to have some sandwiches by the pool and then wait a little while to go in. Part of the waiting could potentially involve sitting in the hot tub.

"You know it's really nice that we can do this here without having to worry about people watching us wherever we go." Sam commented. By now we were the talk of the town, at least while we were on the show. I wasn't sure how much of that would be true by the time that we were off of it. Quite a few people fade into obscurity after being on the show and usually don't do anything else unless they get lucky like Jennifer Hudson did. Though, I'm pretty sure that I haven't actually ever heard a song from her and I really haven't seen her in much else. It's more like she's famous for _Dreamgirls _and having her family killed, but not really anything that she's done recently.

I then saw Rachel walked in, dressed in a conservative one-piece.

"I have someone information about your girlfriend that you might want to know." She declared. "Last night, she kissed Quinn."

"What?" Sam asked.

"She kissed me." I argued. "I didn't kiss back. In fact, it freaked me out. I didn't tell you about it because there's nothing to tell. Quinn even said that she was okay with me not being interested. I love you. Now why don't you go and be a nuisance somewhere else?"

"This is not over." Rachel declared as she stomped out of the room.

"So are you excited about meeting Taylor?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I love her." I replied. "Just don't get too close to her."

"You know a lot of people write songs about their exes." He pointed out.

"I was going to say because she's really hot." I explained.

Later in the week, we met with Taylor. I needed to do my best not to be starstruck. She was pretty much solely responsible for making country music relevant, even more so than Carrie Underwood.

"So what were you going to sing Faith?" She asked as I took a seat in front of her.

"I was going to sing 'White Liar' by Miranda Lambert." I explained.

"I like that song." She responded. "I think it'd be great for showing America that you're more than just a good girl."

I then sang it for her.

"You need to make sure that you let your anger out." She suggested. "Have you ever been cheated on?"

"No." I declared.

"Well think about someone that you don't like and imagine that you're singing to them." She responded.

On Tuesday night, I prepared myself because I was up first. I made sure to wear some cowboy boots with my outfit and a white dress with leather jacket.

"Good evening, everyone and welcome to _American Idol_." Jesse announced. "Tonight our top 7 is back singing country songs and they've being mentored by the biggest name in country right now: Taylor Swift. Let's meet the top 7 again: Faith Hudson, Brittany S. Pierce, Sam Evans, Santana Lopez, Quinn Fabray, Kurt Hummel, and Rachel Berry. Now let's see how Faith's meeting with Taylor went."

They showed the video while I got ready to perform.

_Hey white liar, truth comes out a little at a time  
And it spreads just like a fire  
Slips off your tongue like turpentine  
And I don't know why white liar _

_You better be careful what do you do  
I wouldn't want to be in your shoes if they ever found you out  
You better be careful what you say  
It never really added up anyway I got friends in this town_

_Hey white liar, truth comes out a little at a time  
And it spreads just like a fire  
Slips off your tongue like turpentine  
And I don't know why white liar _

_Here's a bombshell just for you  
It turns out that I've been lying too _

_Yeah I'm a white liar truth comes out a little at a time  
And it spreads just like a fire  
Slips off of my tongue like turpentine  
And I don't know why white liar _

_And I don't know why white liar_

"You know if I hadn't heard you say that you've never been cheated on, I wouldn't believe it from hearing that song." Will told me. "That was great."

"Who was it that you were thinking about?" Emma asked.

"I'd rather not answer that." I replied. I figured it wouldn't be a good move to express my disdain for Rachel on live TV.

"Well I think regardless of who or what you were singing about, you sounded really good." Sue declared. "I think you're going to win this now."

I smiled as Jesse came onto the stage.

"If you want to vote for Faith, dial 1-866-IDOLS01." He declared.

Brittany was after me and sang "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. I knew that I shouldn't predict Brittany to go home anymore, but I was pretty sure that because two people were leaving, she would be one of them.

Sam then headed out to the stage with his guitar. I gave him a kiss for luck beforehand.

_On a warm summer's evening on a train bound for nowhere  
I met up with a gambler, we were both too tired to sleep  
So we took turns staring out the window at the darkness  
Till boredom overtook us and he began to speak _

_He said "Son I've made a life out of reading people's faces  
And knowing what the cards were by the way they held their eyes  
So if you don't mind my saying, I can see you're out of aces  
For a taste of your whiskey, I'll give you some advice"_

_And then the night got deftly quiet and his face lost all expression  
Said "If you're gonna play the game boy, you gotta learn to play it right"_

_You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em  
Know when to walk away and know when to run  
You never count your money while you're sitting at the table  
There'll be time enough for counting when the dealing's done_

_You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em  
Know when to walk away and know when to run  
You never count your money while you're sitting at the table  
There'll be time enough for counting when the dealing's done_

I thought that it was a bit of a gamble for him to sing such an iconic song and it paid off for him. The judges seemed to share my opinion.

Santana was next and sang "A Broken Wing" by Martina McBride and she ended up forgetting the words when she got to end. I wasn't sure if he stellar vocals would be enough to make up for her mistake.

After her was Quinn and I hoped that she had picked a better song.

_I can take the rain on the roof this empty house that don't bother me__  
__I can take a few tears now and then and just them out__  
__I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while, even though going on with you gone still upsets me__  
__There are days every now and again I pretend I'm okay but that's not what gets me _

_What hurts the most is being so close__  
__And having so much to say and watching you walk away__  
__And never knowing what could have been__  
__And not seeing and loving you is what I was trying to do _

_It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go but I'm doing it__  
__It's hard to force that smile when I see our olds friends and I'm alone__  
__Still harder getting up getting dressed living with this regret but I know if I could do it over__  
__I would trade give away all the words that I say in my heart that I left unspoken _

_What hurts the most is being so close__  
__And having so much to say and watching you walk away__  
__And never knowing what could have been__  
__And not seeing and loving you is what I was trying to do__  
__And not seeing and loving you that's what I was trying to do _

I felt that it was a little bit safe, but it seemed like safe would be good after last weeks' debacle.

Going sixth, Kurt sang "Breathe" by Faith Hill and I never realized how much his voice sounded like Faith Hill's. It was kind of creepy to be honest, but I was pretty sure that he would be sticking around for another week.

Rachel then closed the show by singing "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood and it was solid. Okay, it was really good which meant I would have to deal with her longer.

On Thursday, we first got together to sing a country hit from a few years ago. I was kind of surprised that he didn't pick something newer, but at least we didn't choose something from that Luke Bryan guy that was currently popular. I really didn't like that guy's music.

_I woke up early this morning around 4:00 am__  
__With the moon shining bright as headlights on the interstate__  
__I pulled the covers over my head and tried to catch some sleep__  
__But thoughts of us kept keeping me awake_

_Ever since you found yourself in someone else's arms__  
__I've been trying my best to get along, but that's okay there's nothing left to say but_

_Take your records, take your freedom, take your memories I don't need em__  
__Take your space and take your reasons but you'll think of me__  
__Take your cat and leave me sweater cause we got nothing left to weather__  
__In fact I'll feel a whole lot better, but you'll think of me,_

_Someday I'm gonna run across your mind,__  
__But don't worry I'll be fine I'm gonna be alright__  
__While you're sleeping with your pride, wishing I could hold you tight__  
__I'll be over you and on with my life_

_So take your records take your freedom, take your memories I don't need em__  
__Take your cat and leave my sweater cause we've got nothing left to weather__  
__In fact I'll feel a whole lot better but you'll think of me__  
__Take your records, take your freedom, take your memories I don't need em__  
__Take your space and take your reasons but you'll think of me__  
__Take your cat and leave me sweater cause we got nothing left to weather__  
__In fact I'll feel a whole lot better, but you'll think of me, you'll think of me_

Taylor then sang her current single "Today Was A Fairytale" and…well I actually thought that song was kind of embarrassing, but who was I to judge.

We then got to the eliminations, Sam and Quinn were both safe first.

"Faith and Santana, please stand up." Jesse declared. "Faith, you are safe. Santana, you are going home."

After her, Rachel was declared safe and Kurt and Brittany headed to the stage. Brittany ended up being the one to finally go home. _  
_

So Quinn kissed Faith and Faith did not return her affections. Also Brittany and Santana went home together. The songs are "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers, "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts and "You'll Think of Me" by Keith Urban. Please don't forget to review.


	13. Ballads and One-Hit Wonders

This week would be more difficult because we weren't just choosing one song. We would each be singing two songs: one ballad and one One-Hit Wonder. I wasn't entirely sure what to pick. There wouldn't be a mentor this week, so we would be stuck with whatever songs we chose.

Sam and I were currently in the middle of a makeout session. We still hadn't had sex yet and we weren't going to right now. I was a little bit afraid of it to be honest. I'd never been with a guy long enough to say that I loved him and I had never had sex with a guy that I could say that I loved. I was scared that it would be really awkward, or worse really bad. At that moment, I pulled apart from him as he touched me below my waist.

"Sorry." He apologized.

"I just can't do this right now." I stated. "I want to, but I'm terrified of all of the things that can go wrong."

"Well it's never going to be perfect." He responded. "I can wait as long as you want. If you want to wait until you're married to have sex again, I can respect that."

"I don't know how long I want to wait." I declared. "I really would like to do this before the competition is over, but I don't when. Speaking of which, we need to talk about that as we get closer to the finale, it's becoming a very real possibility that we could be the final two. The point is we can't put the competition above our relationship. I want to win but not if it costs me you and those rumors about me using you to win before I would dump you after the finale aren't true. I would never do that."

"I know that you wouldn't." He replied. "So have thought about any songs that you wanted to sing?"

"I was considering this song called "Who I Am" by Jessica Andrews." I explained. "I used to love that song back in middle school."

"Yeah, I've heard it and I think that you would sound great on it." He declared. "So I don't want anything to come between us either. Nothing is more important than my love for you. If you win, I will support you because I'd know that you had earned it and deserved it."

"You know it's a good thing that they wouldn't make us star in a movie." I quipped. "Justin Guarini can't act, or at least he couldn't back then."

"I also Kelly Clarkson on _Reba_ a few years ago and she was pretty funny." He told me.

"I've never seen it." I stated.

"Well she can be a real motormouth." He declared.

I then headed back to my room. We all had our own rooms now that there were just five of us and Quinn was staying with Beth. It was better since we didn't have to conform to each others' sleep schedules anymore.

On Monday night, I was coming home from the studio. I was a bit exhausted from recording two songs. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like when I had to record a full album. It was probably impossible to do in one day, even if I was up for the entire 24 hours.

Anyway, I found Sam in the foyer. I really wanted to get something to eat. We headed to the kitchen and cooked up some leftover slices of pizza. I drank it with a glass V8 V-Fusion. It was the closest that I could do to eating healthy.

I couldn't help but realize how much I wanted Sam after I was done eating. I immediately began to kiss him and we began to make out in the hallway as we headed back to his room. Once we were inside, I took his shirt over and he took my top off and I didn't want to stop.

"So do you have any condoms by any chance?" I asked him.

"Mike actually left some for me." He stated. "He said that it was good to have some just in case the moment ever came."

"Mike has good ideas." I replied before he kissed me some more. He took off my skirt and I took off his jeans and soon enough we were doing it. It wasn't perfect, but it still did feel pretty amazing. I really liked it. Maybe it was because I was with the person that I was meant to be with. I'd never prescribed to the theory before, but it was starting to make sense to me that there was one person for everyone while both of those people were still alive. Whether it was or not, it was still the best that I had ever felt.

On Tuesday, we headed to the show. I knew the songs that I was going to sing. I would be 3rd and 8th. I wore a black dress with black and red roses on it and a leather jacket and a smile.

"Welcome back to _American Idol."_ Jesse said. "Tonight the contestants will each be singing two songs: one ballad and one song from a One-Hit Wonder. Let's meet our contestants: Quinn Fabray, Kurt Hummel, Faith Hudson, Rachel Berry, and Sam Evans."

Quinn was up first and sang "Let It Be" by The Beatles. While it was a pretty easy song, it was such a good song that anyone who sang it sounded great on it. I really enjoyed the performance.

Kurt was after her and sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler and it was dreary. I thought the song sounded pretty dated and it was definitely a mistake for him to sing it. If his second song wasn't any better, he probably had bought a ticket home.

I headed out to the stage and began to sing.

_There was a time when I was so brokenhearted.__  
__Love wasn't much of a friend of mine__  
__The tables have turned, cause me and them ways have parted__  
__That kind of love was the killing kind_

_All I want is someone that I can't resist__  
__I know all I need to know by the way that I got kissed_

_I was cryin' when I met you__  
__Now I'm tryin' to forget you__  
__Your love is sweet misery__  
__I was cryin' just to get you__  
__Now I'm dyin' cause I let you__  
__Do what you do down on me _

_Cause what you got inside aint where your love should stay__  
__Yeah our love, sweet love aint love till you give your heart away_

_I was cryin' when I met you__  
__Now I'm tryin' to forget you__  
__Your love is sweet misery__  
__I was cryin' just to get you__  
__Now I'm dyin' to I let you__  
__Do what you do down on me _

"You know a lot of people say that Aerosmith was best in the 70s, but I think the 90s was when they really hit their stride." Will replied. "I love that song and I loved the way you sang it."

"Well I know that you're not going to be crying this week because you're not going home." Emma told me.

"It got a bit screechy at some points, but that can be expected when you do an Aerosmith voice." Sue commented. "Overall, it was pretty good."

Rachel followed me and sang "Open Arms" by Journey, except it sounded more like the Mariah Carey version, which I didn't like. One thing that I had noted was people didn't seem to have a lot of luck singing Journey songs. I hoped it meant that she would go home, but I didn't think that she would.

Sam then headed to the stage to close out the ballads.

_What would you do if I sang out of tune__  
__Would you stand up and walk out on me__  
__Lend me your eyes and I'll sing you a song__  
__I will try not to sing out of key_

_I get by with a little help from my friends__  
__I get high with a little help from my friends__  
__I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends__  
__I get high with a little help from my friends_

_Do you need anybody I need someone to love__  
__Could it be anybody All I need is someone to love _

_Baby, I get by with a little help from my friends__  
__I get high with a help from my friends__  
__I'm gonna try with a help from my friends__  
__I get high with a little from my friends_

_Would you believe in a love at first sight, I'm certain it happens all the time__  
__What do you see when you turn out the light, I can't tell you but it sure feels like mine_

_I get by with a little help from my friends__  
__I get high with a help from my friends__  
__I'm gonna try with a help from my friends__  
__I get high with a little from my friends_

It wasn't that surprising that he sang the Joe Cocker version, because that tended to be the version that everyone preferred. Of course the original couldn't be considered a ballad even.

Quinn then went out again.

_Small town homecoming queen__  
__She's the star of the scene there's no way to deny she's lovely__  
__Perfect skin, perfect hair, perfumes hearts everywhere__  
__Tell myself that inside she's ugly_

_Maybe I'm just jealous I can't help but hate her__  
__Secretly I wonder if my boyfriend wants to date her_

_She's the prom queen, I'm in the marching band__  
__She's the cheerleader, I'm sitting in the stands__  
__She gets the top bunk, I'm sleeping on the floor__  
__She's Miss America and I'm just the girl next door__  
__Oh I'm just the girl next door_

_I don't know why I'm feeling sorry for myself__  
__I spend all time wishing that I was someone else_

_She's the prom queen, I'm in the marching band__  
__She's the cheerleader, I'm sitting in the stands__  
__I get a little bit, she gets a little more__  
__She's Miss America__  
__She's Miss America__  
__And I'm the just the girl next door_

_I'm just the girl, I'm just the girl next door__  
__I'm just the girl, I'm just the girl next door__  
__I'm just the girl next door _

It was definitely one of my favorite one-hit wonder songs because it was a fun song to dance to. She sounded like she was having fun with it.

Kurt then sang "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing". Apparently some guy named Mark Chesnutt released a version not long after Aerosmith did. It sounded more like Aerosmith, but his voice didn't really fit the song. By now, I was pretty sure that he would be going home.

I then headed back out.

_If I live to be a hundred And never see the seven wonders  
That'll be alright  
If I don't make it to the big leagues, if I never win a Grammy  
I'm gonna be just fine_

_Cause I know exactly who I am_

_I am Rosemary's granddaughter, spitting image of my father  
And when the day is done my momma's still my biggest fan  
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy but I've got friends who love me  
And they know just where I stand_

_It's all a part of me  
That's who I am_

_I'm a saint and I'm a sinner  
I'm a loser, I'm a winner  
I'm steady and unstable  
I'm young but I am able_

_I am Rosemary's granddaughter spitting image of my father  
And when the day is done my momma's still my biggest fan  
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy but I've got friends who love me  
And they know just where I stand_

_It's all a part of me  
That's who I am_

"I'm so glad that America's getting to see who you are." Emma replied. "You are great and you're great at picking songs to show who you are."

"If you want to vote for Faith dial 1-866-IDOLS03 or 1-866-IDOLS08." Jesse stated.

Rachel then sang "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn, and it was probably my favorite performance that she had ever done. I still hated her, though.

Sam then closed the show by singing "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter, who was a one-hit wonder because of the show. It really sounded good with Sam's acoustic guitar.

On Wednesday, we were singing a ballad that was also by a One-Hit Wonder.

_So lately been wondering who will take my place__  
__When I'm gone you'll need love to light the shadows on your face_

_If a great wave shall fall, and fall upon us all__  
__In between the sand and stone, could you make it on your own_

_If I could, then I would__  
__I'll go wherever you will go__  
__Way up high or down low__  
__I'll go wherever you will go_

_Run away with my heart__  
__Run away with my hope__  
__Run away with my love_

_I know now just quite how__  
__My life and love might still go on__  
__In your heart in your mind__  
__I'll stay with you for all of time_

_If I could, then I would__  
__I'll go wherever you will go__  
__Way up high or down low__  
__I'll go wherever you will go_

_If I could turn back time__  
__I'll go wherever you will go__  
__If I could make you mine__  
__I'll go wherever you will go__  
__I'll go wherever you will go_

The Bottom Two ended up being Quinn and Kurt. It was who I would have put there, but I would be upset if Kurt managed to stay, but he didn't and we were down to four.

So Kurt went home and Faith and Sam finally had sex. There are only three more chapters left of this story. Will she and Sam make it to the finals? The songs are "Cryin" by Aerosmith, "With a Little from My Friends" by Joe Cocker, "Girl Next Door" by Saving Jane, and "Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling. Please don't forget to review.


	14. Fleetwood Mac and Pop

It was kind of amazing. One hundred thousand people had tried out for the competition and I was one of the last four. Being in the top 4 usually guaranteed success but it didn't always. In fact I hadn't really heard anything from anyone in Season 3. I had to win. I wanted to win. I didn't just want to be another face from the show, but I knew that the only thing that I could do would be to do my best.

The important thing about this week was what was at stake. It was a week where everybody was going home, but only three of us would take the camera crews with. I would never be the most famous resident of West Palm Beach, which laid claims to celebrities like Michael Jordan, Hank Aaron, Bob Barker, and Howard Stern, but for one day, it would be all about me. I couldn't help but wonder if any of them would be there.

I went to see Sam. I wanted to spend time with him, even though I needed to put a lot of work towards this week. We were going to be meeting with Stevie Nicks, who was going to be advising us not only for Fleetwood Mac songs, but also for pop songs. It was a bit of an open category, but I actually knew a song that I wanted to sing. It was a bit of an unconventional choice because not only was it not released as a singer, the artist wasn't even that famous to anyone older than 25.

"So we're almost there." He commented. "I feel like I can see the finish line from here."

"Yeah, we're almost there." I agreed. Before anyone performed, I felt like Quinn had the highest chance of being eliminated. She just didn't seem to be in the same league as Rachel and I and Sam was the only guy left. "So we're meeting Stevie Nicks. It sounds like that's going to be amazing. She's kind of a legend."

"Well she's definitely important even though she wasn't even an original member of the band." He remarked. "So do you wanna go out and do something tonight? Maybe we could go to a movie or something. Were you interested in _Iron Man 2?"_

"Yeah, but I don't really know anything about the comics." I admitted. "I liked the first one though since Robert Downey Jr. is such a good actor."

"Well I know all about comics and I can teach you." He explained before he went into a spiel about Iron Man. "You should be taking notes because there will be a quiz."

I laughed as he continued. It was kind of impressive how he knew so much about it. I admired his work into learning something that most people didn't even consider important.

I went to get lunch and that was where I found Rachel.

"You're a fraud." She stated. "Your father wasn't killed in Iraq like you said he was."

"What are you talking about?" I replied.

"Christopher Hudson died of a drug overdose in Cincinnati." She told me. "I had a private eye look into that."

"No, my dad was a war hero." I remarked in surprise. "My mom told me that he was a war hero. It has to be someone else."

"I can assure you that it's not." She replied. I began to cry.

"You're a bitch!" I shouted. "I'm pretty sure that what you did is against the rules and I could have you disqualified for it, but I'm not going to because I want to beat you fair and square even if you don't feel the same mentality."

I later met up with Stevie in the studio. I had called my mom and she had confirmed the story, so I was still upset.

"Are you okay?" Stevie asked me.

"I'm a little upset." I admitted. "I just found out that my dad was not who I thought he was. It's why I chose the song that I was going to sing."

"Which song is that?" She questioned.

"'Little Lies'" I answered. Most people would have chosen something from _Rumours, _but I didn't want to be like everyone else.

"You know that was our last song to reach the top 10." She explained. I then went to perform it for her. "I really liked how you connected to that song. I don't think I can give you any advice for that other than to keep that emotion. What was your second song?"

"It's called 'I Won't Apologize' by Selena Gomez." I explained.

"I know who she is, but I don't think that I've ever heard the song before." She admitted.

"Well I chose this song because it has a special place in my heart." I explained.

On Tuesday night, I was ready to perform. I knew that I would make it because I was just feeling that level of confidence, but I still wanted to perform my best.

"Welcome back to _American Idol._" Jesse declared. "Tonight we are down to four and our contestants will be competing for a chance to go home. They met with Stevie Nicks and will be singing Fleetwood Mac and pop songs. Let's meet our finalists: Rachel Berry, Sam Evans, Faith Hudson, and Quinn Fabray."

Rachel was up first and sang "Go Your Own Way." It was pretty good, but I didn't like her explanation of why she chose the song. It must have been a bit awkward singing that in front of the person whom it was written for.

Sam followed her and sang "Don't Stop." It was good for his voice since it had such an amazing melody. It probably wasn't the best performance, but I still loved it like I loved him.

I then headed to the stage and they showed the part where I admitted about my dad because I didn't want to keep it a secret in case it would have come out later. I then headed to the stage.

_If I could turn the page of time then I'd rearrange  
Just a day or two close my, close my, close my eyes  
But I couldn't find the way, so I'll settle for one day  
To believe in you tell me, tell me, tell me lies_

_Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies  
Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies  
Oh no you can't disguise you can't disguise no you can't disguise  
Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies _

_Although I'm not making plans I hope that you understand  
There's a reason why close your, close your, close your eyes  
No more broken hearts we're better off apart  
Let's give it a try tell me, tell me, tell me lies_

_Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies  
Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies  
Oh no you can't disguise you can't disguise no you can't disguise  
Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies  
Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies  
Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies  
Oh no you can't disguise you can't disguise no you can't disguise  
Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies _

"I thought that for someone going through what you're going through, that was pretty good." Will declared.

"I'm not gonna lie. You were great." Emma told me.

"I think you did a good way of expressing your heartbreak." Sue declared.

Quinn then sang "Rhiannon" and I really liked the mellow performance that she delivered. It was great and she seemed like maybe she did have a chance. I just hoped it wasn't at Sam's expense.

Rachel then sang "Battlefield" by Jordin Sparks and I couldn't help but notice how wrong it was for her. Her voice didn't sound good singing repetitive pop, maybe she wasn't as clear cut as I thought.

Sam then headed to the stage.

_Hey girl, is he everything you wanted in a man__  
__You know I gave the world, you had me in the palm of your hand__  
__So why your love went away I just can't seem to understand__  
__Thought it was me and you baby me and you until the end but I guess I was wrong_

_Don't wanna think about it, don't wanna talk about I'm just so sick about it__  
__I can't believe it's ending this way__  
__Just so confused about it, feeling the blues about it, I just can't do without it__  
__Tell me is this fair _

_Is this the way it's really going down, is this how we say goodbye__  
__Should've known better when you came around that you were gonna make me cry__  
__It's breaking my heart to watch you run around cause I know you're living a lie__  
__But that's okay baby cause in time you will find__  
__What goes around, goes around, goes around comes all the way back around__  
__What goes around, goes around, goes around comes all the way back around__  
__What goes around, goes around, goes around comes all the way back around__  
__What goes around, goes around, goes around comes all the way back around_

Let me paint this picture for you baby

_You spend your nights alone and he never comes home__  
__And every time you call him all you get's a busy tone__  
__I heard you found out what that he's doing to you what you did me__  
__Aint that the way it goes__  
__You cheated girl, my heart bleeded girl so it goes without saying__  
__Just a classic case, just a scenario tale as old as time girl you got what you deserve_

_What goes around comes back around I thought I told ya yeah__  
__What goes around comes back around I thought I told ya yeah__  
__What goes around comes back around I thought I told ya yeah_

I thought it was amazing. He really put his all into that Justin Timberlake song and I was impressed and I was also turned on. It kind of wanted to have sex with him right there even though I was about to perform. If I was still in the mood when the night was over, I would probably do it with him.

I then headed to perform my second song. I hoped that people wouldn't be turned off by the fact that I had chosen a pop song that wasn't actually popular.

_You had me to get her and here I thought it was me  
I was changing, arranging my life to fit your lies  
It's all said and all done, I gave all for the long run  
Can she say the same thing I guess this is goodbye and good luck_

_I can't be what you want me to be_

_I'm sorry for changing  
I'm sorry it had to be this way  
Believe me it's easier to just pretend  
But I won't apologize for who I am _

_I thank you for this hopeless war  
Cause through the pain, I am stronger than before  
Now I'm more I don't need you anymore  
I'm sorry _

_Listen close I won't say this again _

_I'm sorry for changing  
I'm sorry it had to be this way  
Believe me it's easier to just pretend  
But I won't apologize for who I am  
I'm sorry for changing  
I'm sorry it isn't like it was  
Believe me it's easier to just pretend  
But I won't apologize why should I apologize  
No I won't apologize for who I am _

"I think that you took a big risk performing that song." Will stated. "But I think you are in it to win it."

"I think that song is perfect indication of why you should win this." Sue declared. "You could performed some Brittney Spears song, but you chose a song close to your heart and you shouldn't have to apologize for it."

"If you wanna vote for Faith, dial 1-866-IDOLS03 or 07." Jesse stated.

After that Quinn closed the show. I didn't really think of what she was singing as a pop song even though it topped the Hot 100.

_Baby I just don't get it, do you enjoy being hurt  
I know you smell the perfume, the makeup on his shirt  
You don't believe his stories, you know that they're all lies  
Bad as you are, you stick around and I just don't know why_

_If I was your man, baby you'd never worry what I do  
I'd be coming home back to you every night doing you right  
You're the type of women deserves good things  
Fistful of diamonds, handful of rings Baby you're a star I just wanna show you you are_

_You should let me love you, let me be the one to  
Give you everything you want and need  
Baby good love and protection, make me your selection  
Show you the way love's supposed to be  
Baby you should let me love you, love you, love you, love you _

_You deserve better, you know deserve better  
We should be together, baby  
With you and me it's whatever girl hey  
So can we make this thing ours _

_You should let me love you, let me be the one to  
Give you everything you want and need  
Baby good love and protection, make me your selection  
Show you the way love's supposed to be  
Baby you should let me love you, love you, love you, love you _

_Let me love you  
That's all you need baby_

I thought it was a great performance. The judges were a bit confused, but it made more sense when she admitted she liked girls.

On Wednesday, we were performing a Fleetwood Mac song before the results.

_You took my love, you took it down  
I climbed a mountain and I turned around  
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills  
Till the landslide brought me down_

_Oh mirror in the sky what is love  
Can the child in my heart rise above  
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides  
Can I handle the seasons of my life_

_Well I've been afraid of changing  
Cause I built my life around you  
But times makes you bolder, even children get older  
And I'm getting older too _

_Take my love, take it down  
I climbed a mountain and I turned around  
And if you see if my reflection the snow-covered hills  
Will the landslide bring you down  
And if you see if my reflection the snow-covered hills  
Will the landslide bring you down  
Oh, the landslide will bring you down_

There were three chairs, Sam and I were sent to them first and I was pretty sure that Rachel would be in the third.

"And the last member of the Top 3 is…Quinn." Jesse declared. My mouth hung open.

So the shocking elimination happened and Rachel was sent home, but you may have seen that coming. The songs are "What Goes Around Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake, "Let Me Love You" by Mario, and "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. Please don't forget to review.


	15. Top 3

Three people: me, Sam, and Quinn. We all began in the same place. I was pretty sure that had never happened before. It was only fitting that we would be heading back there before going our separate ways to our hometowns. The biggest downside was that I wasn't going to be able to see Sam except by Skype.

As a result, I wanted to spend the night before we left with him. We couldn't stay up too late because we would be leaving early. We were both naked, cuddling in his bed a little before 10:00 and I was already tired.

"So are you going to miss me in Nashville?" I asked.

"Of course I'm going to miss you." He stated. "I'm upset that you can't go with me."

"Well we will be going there for the tour and you can show me where you grew up." I explained. "And I'll be able to show you my hometown. God I love you."

"I love you too." He reciprocated. "So have you chosen your song for this week?"

"Yes. It's my favorite song ever." I explained. We were only choosing one song this week. The other two would be chosen by a judge and the producers. I was pretty sure that Sue was choosing for me, Emma was choosing for Quinn and Will was choosing for Sam. I was so close and I needed to make sure not to blow it, even though I would probably have to bomb all three songs not to make it to the finale and even then I might still have a shot.

In the morning, we all took a plane to Atlanta. I gave same a kiss before I got on my plane to West Palm Beach. As soon as the plane landed, there was a crowd of people. I was bit surprised when Bob Barker stepped out with a microphone in hand.

"Faith Hudson, come on down." He declared as I headed on the stairs. It was still a bit hard to believe that all of the people had come just to see me.

I then headed to the parking lot where I was presented a 2010 Ford Mustang from Al Packer Ford. It was the vehicle that I would be riding in for the parade. I wouldn't be able to drive it today, at least not during the parade, but I was still excited to get a brand new car.

The parade ended at a stage where I was supposed to give a concert. At the end of the show, someone came onto the stage and handed me an envelope.

"So I just got a message from Sue." I declared. "She's chosen 'Everywhere' by Michelle Branch for me. So do you wanna hear me sing it?"

The crowd roared and I began to sing the song.

_Turn it inside out so I can see  
The part of you that's drifting over me  
Cause when I wake you're, you're never there  
And when I sleep you're, you're everywhere, you're everywhere_

_Just tell how I got this far  
Just tell why you're here and who you are  
Cause every time I look you're never there  
And every time I sleep, you're always there_

_Cause you're everywhere to me  
And when I close my eyes, it's you I see  
You're e everything I know that makes me believe  
I'm not alone, I'm not alone _

_When I touch your hand it's then I understand  
The beauty that's within, it's not that we begin  
You always light my way, I hope there comes a day  
No matter where I go, I always feel you soar_

_Cause you're everywhere to me  
And when I close my eyes, it's you I see  
You're e everything I know that makes me believe  
I'm not alone, I'm not alone _

_You're in everyone I see  
So tell me, do you see me _

After the song was over, there was somewhere that I wanted to go.

I drove Figgins' house to see him. He was like family and I also planned to see my mom.

"Faith, it is good to see you." He declared as he gave me a hug. "You know I have something for me."

He then gave me my dress.

"I thought that you might want to keep for sentimental reasons." He added. I actually had wanted it, but wasn't sure if he would give it me. After seeing him, I went to see my mom.

"So why didn't you tell me the truth about Dad?" I asked her.

"I wanted you to be proud of him." She declared. "You thought of him as a hero and I didn't have the heart to tell you."

On Tuesday night, everyone was back in Hollywood and on the big stage for the most important week. This was it.

"Good evening everyone and welcome to _American Idol._" Jesse declared. "Tonight we're down to three, the contestants will be singing one song that the judges have chosen for them, one song they have chosen and one song chosen by our producers. Let's meet the contestants: Quinn Fabray, Sam Evans, and Faith Hudson.

Quinn was up first and sang "I Say A Little Prayer" by Dionne Warwick, which was chosen by Emma. It was kind of schmaltzy and seemed a bit like pandering. I thought that she did all that could with it and actually sounded pretty good.

Sam followed her and sang "Any Way You Want It" by Journey, picked by Will and it rocked. Journey was one of those bands that pretty much everyone loved. Will definitely seemed to be better at picking songs than Emma.

I then sang my first song with a video of me receiving the song accompanying it.

"I think that Sue did a pretty good job picking for you." Will declared. "Though, I'm surprised that she didn't pick Avril."

"I think that's the kind of sound that you need." Emma stated. "I'm hoping that I get to see you in the finale."

"I picked Michelle Branch because I think that's a better sound for you." Sue declared. "But I think that you blew it out of the park."

New up, Quinn sang "Pictures of You" by The Last Goodnight for her song and I thought it…fine. It wasn't spectacular and she really wasn't doing much to send her to the finale.

Sam then headed to the song with his guitar for the song that he had chosen.

_Lightning strikes inside my chest to keep me up at night  
Dream of ways to make you understand my pain_

_Clouds of sulfur in the air, bombs are falling everywhere it's heartbreak warfare  
Once you want it to begin, no one ever really wins in heartbreak warfare  
If you want more love why don't you say so  
If you want more love why don't you say so _

_How come the only way to know how high you get me is to see how far I fall  
God only knows how much you'd love me if you let but I can't break through at all_

_It's a heart, heartbreak _

_I don't care if we don't sleep at all tonight, let's just fix this whole thing now  
I swear to God we're gonna get it right if you lay your weapon down_

_Red wine and Ambien, no one ever really wins in heartbreak warfare  
Good to know it's all a game, disappoint has it's heartbreak, heartbreak  
It's heartbreak warfare, it's heartbreak warfare_

I thought that he sounded great and a John Mayer type sound would be really good for him. He sounded really good on it. I was pretty sure that we would be going to the finale together.

I then headed to the stage with my own guitar and they showed the video of me with Figgins.

_There's nothing I could say to you, nothing I could ever do__  
__To make you see what you mean to me__  
__All the pain, the tears I cried, still you never said goodbye__  
__And now I know how far you'd far go_

_I know I let you down, but it's not like that now__  
__This time I'll never let you go_

_I will be all that you want__  
__And get myself together__  
__Cause you keep me from falling apart__  
__All my life I'll be with you forever__  
__And get you through the day__  
__And make everything okay_

_Cause without you I can't sleep__  
__I'm not gonna ever, ever let you leave__  
__You're all I've got, you're all I want yeah__  
__And without you I don't know what I'd do__  
__I could never ever live a day without you__  
__Here with me, do you see you're all I need_

_And I will be all that you want__  
__And get myself together__  
__Cause you keep me from falling apart__  
__All my life I'll be with you forever__  
__And get you through the day__  
__And make everything okay_

_I will be all that you want__  
__And get myself together__  
__Cause you keep me from falling apart__  
__All my life I'll be with you forever__  
__And get you through the day__  
__And make everything okay_

"Wow, wow, wow." Will declared. "The way you connected to that song was amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if singing that song wins you the competition."

"I think you sounded great on that Leona Lewis song." Emma replied. I had to keep my cool because I really hated it when people called it that.

"It's not a Leona Lewis song." I explained calmly. "It's an Avril song. It was written by Avril and recorded by Avril."

"My mistake." Emma responded.

"I just want to give you a standing ovation." Sue replied as she stood up and clapped.

Quinn then headed to the stage for her final song.

_There's a hero if you look inside your heart  
You don't have to be afraid of what you are  
There's an answer if you reach into your soul  
And the sorrow that you know will melt away_

_And then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on  
And you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive  
So when you feel like hope is gone look inside you and be strong  
And you finally see the truth that a hero lies in you_

_Lord knows dreams are hard to follow  
But don't let anyone tear them away  
Hold on there will be tomorrow  
In time you'll find the way_

_And then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on  
And you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive  
So when you feel like hope is gone look inside you and be strong  
And you finally see the truth that a hero lies in you_

I thought that song was too big for her. It seemed pretty obvious that the producers wanted me and Sam in the finale together because it had a better storyline.

The producers then chose "Angie" by the Rolling Stones for Sam and I had to say that my favorite song by them. He sounded really good on it. I then headed to the stage.

"Okay, Faith, for your last song, the producers have chosen 'How to Save A Life' by The Fray." Jesse declared. Of course I had already known I was singing it. They weren't just going to have me sing a song that I hadn't rehearsed.

_Step one you say "We need to think"  
He walks you say "Sit down it's just a talk"  
He Smiles politely back at you,  
You stare politely right on through_

_Some sort of window to a rite  
He goes left and you stay right  
Between the lines you fear the blame  
You begin to wonder why you came_

_Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

_As he begins to raise his voice__  
__You Lower yours, grant him one last choice__  
__Drive until you lose the road__  
__A break with the ones who follow_

_He will do one of two things__  
__He will admit to everything__  
__I can't say, he's just not the same__  
__And you'll begin to wonder why you came_

_Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend  
Somewhere along in the bitterness  
And I would have stayed up with you all night  
Had I known how to save a life_

"It was another good song from you." Will declared. "I think that you can sing anything at this point."

"You're amazing." Emma simply said.

"I think it would be a travesty if you didn't make it to the finale at this point." Sue remarked.

"If you wanna vote for Faith dial 1-866-IDOLS03, 06, or 09." Jesse declared.

On Wednesday, we led off the show by singing one song that I really liked. It did mean that I wouldn't be able to sing it next week like I wanted to.

_When I was younger I saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind__  
__He broke his own heart and I watched as he tried to reassemble it__  
__And my mama swore that she would never let herself again__  
__And that was the day that I promised to never sing of love if it does not exist_

_But darling, you are the only exception__  
__You are the only exception__  
__You are the only exception__  
__You are the only exception_

_I've got a tight grip on reality but I can't__  
__Let go of what's in front of me here__  
__I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up__  
__Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream_

_You are the only exception__  
__You are the only exception__  
__You are the only exception__  
__You are the only exception__  
__You are the only exception__  
__You are the only exception__  
__You are the only exception__  
__You are the only exception_

_And I'm on my way to believing__  
__And I'm on my way to believing_

"Okay, so here we are. It's time to find out who's going to be in the finale." Jesse declared. "The first person in the finale is…Faith."

I headed to one of the stools. I had a pretty good idea that Sam would make it to the other one and he did. I gave Quinn a hug after she sang her song and prepared for next week.

So it's Faith and Sam at the finale as you probably already guessed. Faith did have the talk with her mom about her dad. The songs are "Heartbreak Warfare" by John Mayer, "I Will Be" by Avril, "Hero" by Mariah Carey" and "The Only Exception" by Paramore. Please don't forget to review.


	16. Finale

This was it. It was down to the two of us. Me and Sam, Sam and I. We were there at the finish line.

It started with a coin flip to determine the order of the finale. Each side had one of our faces on it. It landed on mine.

"So Faith, would you rather go first or second?" Jesse asked. I was pretty sure that the order didn't matter at this point. People were going to vote for us regardless of when we sang.

"I'll go first." I declared. I knew how things were going to go. We would sing one reprisal, one new song, and one song that was chosen for us to be a debut single.

Sam and I then headed back to our room. We were sharing a room. There were two beds in it, but we weren't going to use the second one.

"So have you thought about what you'd do if you win?" He asked.

"I'm pretty sure that I'll be required to say that I'm going to Disneyland." I remarked.

"Yeah, but you'll be the biggest star of the planet." He pointed out. That was probably untrue. "You should have some sort of plan for what you'll do"

"Well what would do?" I challenged.'

"I'd want to make sure that you were by my side so I could give you a kiss." He remarked. "There is no one that I would rather share the moment with than you."

"Would it be selfish of me to say that I really don't want you to win?" I asked.

"I get how much you want this and I'll still love you even if I don't win." He stated.

"You know we're basically living together, even though we're only been dating for a few months." I joked.

"Well we're not like most people." He commented. "Who knows we'll probably end up married in a few months."

"Well if we were ever going to get married, we'd have to live together for real to make sure that we know enough about each other well enough to take the plunge." I responded.

"Well, we're going to have the tour to get to know each other better and maybe we'll be able to get a room together." He explained.

"So why don't we talk about the finale itself? I mean the big finale. Who were you going to sing with?" I asked.

"I was going to sing with John Mellencamp." He stated. "What about you?"

"Avril and I will be performing 'I Will Be' together." I explained. "I need to make sure that I don't faint meeting her because her being there will be awesome."

I still couldn't believe that it was going to be happening. The thought of meeting Avril was a dream come true it would probably better than actually winning the show. I loved Avril. If she asked me to leave Sam to be with her, I would at least strongly consider it and I don't even like girls.

One thing that I knew was our outfits were going to become a lot more formal for the finale. I would be wearing a different outfit for every performance and I would have at least one ball gown. It would be like I was going to prom all over again. It was a shame that Sam and I wouldn't get the chance to dance together.

On Tuesday, it was time. I was going to be leading the show off with a reprise. I couldn't do 'I Will Be' again, so I decided on the song that put me on the map.

_There is a house in New Orleans__  
__They call the rising sun__  
__And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy__  
__And God I know I'm one_

_My mother was a tailor__  
__Sewed my new blue jeans__  
__My father was a gambling man__  
__Down in New Orleans_

_Now the only thing a gambler needs__  
__Is a suitcase and trunk__  
__And the only time he's satisfied__  
__Is when he's on a drug_

_Oh mother tell your children__  
__Not to do what I have done__  
__Spend your life in sin and misery__  
__In the house of the rising sun_

_Well I've got one foot on the platform__  
__The other foot on the train__  
__I'm going back to New Orleans__  
__To wear that ball and chain_

_Well there is a house in New Orleans__  
__They call the rising sun__  
__And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy__  
__And God I know I'm one_

_And God I know I'm one__  
__And God I know I'm one_

"I thought was every bit as good as the first time that you performed that." Will declared. "I was hoping that you would either sing that song or 'Black Velvet' so I'm happy."

"Singing a song again after doing so well is not easy, but I think you were up to the challenge." Emma declared.

"That was the song where I said I thought you win this and I still think that." Sue replied. "It was excellent."

Sam then headed to the stage and sang 'With a Little Help from My Friends' again and he was still great and still dreamy. It was hard to criticize someone that you are totally in love with. Of course, he'd never really had a bad performance, just some that weren't as good as the others.

I then headed back out to the stage for my second song, it was a song that I had chosen myself. I was wearing an elegant strapless blue gown which actually consisted of a blue minidress with a transparent blue overskirt. I thought that it was great for showing off my vocals.

_If I had just one tear running down your cheek__  
__Maybe I could cope, maybe I'd get some sleep__  
__If I had just one moment at your expense__  
__Maybe all misery would be well spent yeah_

_Could you cry a little, lie just a little__  
__Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain__  
__I gave now I'm wanting something in return__  
__So cry just a little for me _

_Give it up baby, I hear you're doing fine__  
__Nothing's gonna save me and I see it in your eyes__  
__Some kind of heartache honey give it a try__  
__I don't want pity, I just want what is mine_

_Could you cry a little, lie just a little__  
__Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain__  
__I gave now I'm wanting something in return__  
__So cry just a little for me, cry just a little for me__  
__Could you cry a little for me_

"That has to be my favorite Faith Hill song." Will stated. "I think that you really did the song justice."

"I think that the only crying that you'll be doing is tears of joy." Emma replied.

"I don't think that was as good as your first song, but I think you can still kill it with your last song." Sue replied.

Sam then sang 'Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard and it definitely made me think of all of the things that I wanted to do to him. The vocals might not have been his best, but I was honestly too turned on by it to care. I was a little surprised that he had been able to perform such a blatantly sexual song like that.

I headed out to sing the final song that I had been given. It was kind of exciting to be premiering a new song like that. I hoped that I could do it justice since the song was written for me and I didn't want to make the songwriters look like idiots.

_I'm waking up to ash and dust__  
__I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust__  
__I'm breathing in the chemicals__  
__I'm breaking in and shaping up__  
__Then checking out on the prison bus__  
__This is it the apocalypse_

_I'm waking up__  
__I feel it in my bones__  
__Enough to make my system blow__  
__Welcome to the new age, to the new age__  
__Welcome to the new age, to the new age__  
__Whoa oh I'm radioactive, radioactive__  
__Whoa oh I'm radioactive, radioactive_

_All systems go__  
__Sun hasn't died__  
__Deep in my bones__  
__Straight from inside_

_I'm waking up__  
__I feel it in my bones__  
__Enough to make my system blow__  
__Welcome to the new age, to the new age__  
__Welcome to the new age, to the new age__  
__Whoa oh I'm radioactive, radioactive__  
__Whoa oh I'm radioactive, radioactive_

"I would say that you nailed that song and I look forward to hearing you sing that on the radio." Will stated. He did know that the radio was mostly recordings, didn't he? Live performances weren't really a thing anymore.

"I'm just going to say that it's been wonderful watching you perform." Emma told me.

"I think win or lose, you are going to be a star." Sue declared. "You have some bright things in the future ahead."

"If you wanna vote for Faith, dial 1-866-IDOLS01, 03, 05." Jesse declared.

Sam then headed onto the stage for the final performance of the season with the song that he had been given.

_I told you I was hurt, bleeding on the inside__  
__Told you I was lost in the middle of my life__  
__There's times I stayed alive for you, there's times I would have died for you__  
__There's times it didn't matter at all _

_Will you help me find right way up or let me take the wrong way down__  
__Will straighten me out or make me take the long way around__  
__I took a low road in I'll take the high road out__  
__I'll do whatever it takes to be the mistake you can't live without _

_I'm not gonna give it up away__  
__Not gonna let it go just to wake up someday gone, gone__  
__The worst part is looking back and knowing that I was wrong _

_Help me find right way up or let me take the wrong way down__  
__Will straighten me out or make me take the long way around__  
__I took a low road in I'll take the high road out__  
__I'll do whatever it takes to be the mistake you can't live without__  
__I'll do whatever it takes to be the mistake you can't live without_

On the night of the finale, the show was starting off with me and Sam singing a duet. I was glad that they had chosen the song that I had suggested. We'd actually recorded a studio version of it that I was told they might send to radio. I was leading off.

_I've been living with a shadow overhead  
I've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed  
I've been lonely for so long  
Trapped in the past I just can't seem to move on_

**I've been hiding all my hopes and dreams away  
Just in case I ever need them again someday  
I've been setting aside time  
To clear a little space in the corners of my mind **

_**All I wanna do is find a way back into love  
I can't make it true without a way back into love  
And if I open my heart again  
I guess I'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end**_

_There are moments if I don't know if it's real or anybody feels the way I feel  
I need inspiration, not just another negotiation _

_**All I wanna do is find a way back into love  
I can't make it true without a way back into love  
And if I open my heart to you I'm hoping you'll show me what to do  
And if you help me to start again you know that I'll be there for you in the end **_

There were also several other performances including Sam singing with John Mellencamp, Rachel singing with Barbra Streisand, Quinn with The Go-Gos, Kurt with The Backstreet Boys, the girls doing a tribute to Cyndi Lauper, the guys doing a tribute to Usher and of course me singing with Avril. It was the most amazing thing ever.

It finally came to the final minutes of the show and they were ready to announce the winner. I was in a mosaic-design silver and blue gown and Sam was in some kind of designer suit. I was pretty sure it was Tom Ford, though I still wasn't completely sure who he was.

"Okay, Becky, please give us the results." Jesse declared. Becky was the stagehand, a short blonde with Down's syndrome. She came out with an envelope. "I have never seen the results before this exact moment. The winner of American Idol Season 9 is…Faith Hudson!"

Confetti began to fall on me before Sam gave me a hug and Jesse gave me a mic.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"I can't believe this." I stated. "I wanna thank my mom and Sam for being my side and…oh my god."

I noticed that Sam had gotten down on one knee and Jesse handed him the microphone.

"I know that we haven't been together very long, but being with you has made me feel better than I have with any girl in my life. What I want to know is Faith Carole Hudson, will you marry me?" He asked.

"Yes!" I declared. I didn't care if it was such a short time and it must have had to do the moment, but I wanted to do it. "I really think that I'm supposed to sing right now."

_I'm waking up to ash and dust__  
__I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust__  
__I'm breathing in the chemicals__  
__I'm breaking in and shaping up__  
__Then checking out on the prison bus__  
__This is it the apocalypse_

_I'm waking up__  
__I feel it in my bones__  
__Enough to make my system blow__  
__Welcome to the new age, to the new age__  
__Welcome to the new age, to the new age__  
__Whoa oh I'm radioactive, radioactive__  
__Whoa oh I'm radioactive, radioactive_

_All systems go__  
__Sun hasn't died__  
__Deep in my bones__  
__Straight from inside_

_I'm waking up__  
__I feel it in my bones__  
__Enough to make my system blow__  
__Welcome to the new age, to the new age__  
__Welcome to the new age, to the new age__  
__Whoa oh I'm radioactive, radioactive__  
__Whoa oh I'm radioactive, radioactive_

He then ring on my finger as the camera faded to black.

**The End**

So Faith and she and Sam are engaged. The songs are "Cry" by Faith Hill, "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons, "The High Road" by Three Days Grace and "Way Back into Love" by Haley Bennett and Hugh Grant. Thank you for reading and please don't forget to review.


End file.
